The Diocese of Bjørgvin () is one of the 11 dioceses that make up the Church of Norway. It includes all of the churches located in the county of Vestland in Western Norway, and those outside of Norway in the Seamen's Church. The cathedral city is Bergen, Norway's second largest city. Bergen Cathedral, formerly the Church of Saint Olaf, serves as the seat of the presiding Bishop. The Bishop since 2023 has been Ragnhild Jepsen.
History
Prior to 1536, the state religion of Norway was Roman Catholicism, but the government of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway joined in with the Protestant Reformation and in 1536 it declared itself to be Lutheran, and the Church of Norway was formed. In 1537, the diocese of Bjørgvin, heir of the ancient Diocese of Bergen, consisted of the (historic) counties of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane (with exception of the parishes of Eidfjord and Røldal).
The region of Sunnmøre (to the north) was transferred from the Diocese of Nidaros to the Diocese of Bjørgvin in 1622. The parish of Eidfjord was transferred from the Diocese of Stavanger to Bjørgvin in 1630. The parish of Røldal was transferred from the Diocese of Kristiansand to Bjørgvin in 1863. The Sunnmøre region was removed from the Diocese of Bjørgvin in 1983 when it, along with the regions of Nordmøre and Romsdal (from the Diocese of Nidaros), were established as a separate diocese, the Diocese of Møre.
Name The Old Norse form of the name for Bergen was Bjǫrgvin. The first element is berg or bjǫrg, which translates as "mountain". The last element is vin, which translates as "meadow". It is an old form of the name for the present-day city of Bergen.
Structure The Diocese of Bjørgvin is divided into eleven deaneries () in the new Vestland county. Each deanery corresponds to one or more municipalities in the diocese. Each municipality is further divided into one or more parishes which each contain one or more congregations. See each municipality below for lists of churches and parishes within them.
Deanery () MunicipalitiesBergen domprostiBergenBergensdalen prostiBergenÅsane prostiBergen, OsterøyFana prostiAustevoll, Bergen, BjørnafjordenHardanger og Voss prostiEidfjord, Kvam, Samnanger, Ullensvang, Ulvik, Vaksdal, VossSunnhordland prostiBømlo, Etne, Fitjar, Kvinnherad, Stord, Sveio, TysnesVesthordland prostiAskøy, Øygarden Nordhordland prostiAlver. Austrheim, Fedje, Masfjorden, Modalen, Gulen, SolundSogn prostiAurland, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Vik, ÅrdalNordfjord prostiBremanger, Gloppen, Kinn, Stad, StrynSunnfjord prostiAskvoll, Fjaler, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Sunnfjord
Bishops
Prior to 1535 Olav Torkelsson - The last Catholic bishop 1536-1557 Gjeble Pederssøn b. c.1489 - The first Lutheran bishop 1557-1582 Jens Pedersen Schjelderup b. 1499 1583-1607 Anders Foss 1607-1615 Anders Mikkelsen Kolding 1616-1636 Nils Paaske b. 1568 1636-1649 Ludvig Hansen Munthe b. 1593 1649-1665 Jens Pedersen Schjelderup b. 1604 1665-1711 Nils Envildsen Randulf b. 1630 1711-1716 Nils Pedersen Smed b. 1655 1716-1723 Clemens Schmidt b. 1671 1723-1731 Marcus Müller b. 1684 1731-1747 Oluf Cosmussen Bornemann b. 1683 1747-1757 Erik Ludvigsen Pontoppidan b. 1698 1757-1762 Ole Tiedemann b. 1710 1762-1774 Frederik Arentz b. 1699 1774-1778 Eiler Eilersen Hagerup b. 1718 1778-1779 Søren Friedlieb b. 1717 1779-1803 Ole Irgens b. 1724 1803-1816 Johan Nordahl Brun b. 1745 1817-1822 Claus Pavels b. 1769 1822-1848 Jacob Neumann b. 1772 1848-1857 Peder Christian Hersleb Kjerschow b. 1786 1858-1863 Jens Matthias Pram Kaurin b. 1804 1864-1880 Peter Hersleb Graah Birkeland b. 1807 1881-1898 Fredrik Waldemar Hvoslef b. 1825 1899-1916 Johan Willoch Erichsen b. 1842 1916-1931 Peter Hognestad b. 1866 1931-1948 Andreas Fleischer b. 1878 1948-1961 Ragnvald Indrebø b. 1891 1961-1976 Per Juvkam b. 1907 1977-1987 Tor With b. 1918 1987-1994 Per Lønning b. 1928 1994-2008 Ole Danbolt Hagesæther b. 1941 2008-2023 Halvor Nordhaug b. 1953 Since 2023 Ragnhild Jepsen b. 1969
References