Vor Frelser Parish, Oslo, Norway Genealogy

Guide to Vor Frelser, Norway ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Church Records
Microfilm at the contain parish registers from the Cathedral (Our Savior's) parish in Oslo city. Included Trefoldihet parish until 1858 and Jacob's parish until 1875.

Images of the church books are online at Digitalarkivet.


 * Oslo Domkirke / Vår Frelsers menighet: 1648-1969

History of the parish
Vor Frelser parish was the original city parish from 1624. Bymarka belonged to Aker parish, which was outside the city limits. A resolution of October 25, 1687 confirmed the established division between the city parish (Vor Frelser) and the Akershhus Slott parish, which was established September 22, 1671. On September 10, 1734 the borders of the city parish were established to the city limits, where Aker parish jurisdiction began, and to the Oslo-Oslo Hospital parish, excluding the area of Akershus Castle.

A Royal resolution of March 22, 1858 divided the parish in two, Vor Frelser and Trefoldighet. See Trefoldighet for the border description.

The expansion of the city limits at various time brought some changes to the church jurisdiction. On July 10, 1874 Jakob's parish was created from the northern part of Vor Frelser.

A Royal resolution of September 28, 1897 set the borders of Vor Fresler as follows: From Aker's river end to Vaterlands bridge, Brugata, Storgata, Youngs gata, Hospitalsgata, Akersgata, Apotekergata, Rosenkrantzgate, Kirstian 4's gate, Universitetsgata, Karl Johans gate, Nedre Slottsgate, Festnings territory borders and down to the Aker river.

Vaterland annex parish was created November, 18, 1899 by royal resolution. It covered the area between Stenersgate and the the east railway station (Østbannen).

The change of the parish name to Oslo Domkirke did not take place until 1950.