Domkirken (Vor Frelser) Parish, Oslo, Norway Genealogy

Guide to Domkirken (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 Trinity (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 Fresler parish was the original city parish from 1624. Aker parish and Bymarka, which belonged to Aker, was outside the city limits.

On October 25, 1687 the division was established between the city parish (Vor Frelser) and the Akershus Slott parish which was completed September 22, 1671.

On September 1734 the borders of Vår Frelser were established to the city limits, where Aker parish jurisdiction took over and to the border of Oslo (Oslo Hospital) parish, excluding the area of Akershus Castle (Slott).

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

The expansion of the city limits at various times brought some changes to the church jurisdictions. A royal resolution of July 10, 1874 created Jakob's parish from the northern part of Vor Frelser parish.

A royal resolution September 28, 1897 declared the borders of Vor Frelser as follow: From Aker river's end to Vaterlands bridge, Brugata, Storgata, Youngs gate, Hospitalsgata, Akersgata, Apotekergata, Rosenkrantzgate, Kristian 4's gate, Universitetsgata, Karl Johans gare, Nedre Slottsgate, Festnings territory borders and down to the sea.

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

In 1916 the area borded by Universitetsgate, Kristian 4's gata, Wergelandsveien, Parkveien, Hegdehaugsveien, Oscars gate, Frognerveien, Observatories gata, Parkveien, Drammensveien and Karl Johans gate taken from Trefoldighet parish and added to Vor Frelser parish.

In 1929 Johannes parish was discontinued and merged with Vor Frelser parish.

Garnison parish was discontinued in 1938 and the Festning area was added to Vor Frelser.

The change of the parish name to Oslo Domkirke took place in 1950.

In 1959 the Vaterland chapelry was discontinued and the the border were defined between Domkirken, Jakob and Grønland parishes.