OSLO
65
OSLO
newly-erected Cathedral of St. Canute, and later they
and their successors formed the chapter. The Church
of St. Canute, which was at first of wood, and con-
nected with the great Benedictine monastery of the
same name, was bvu'nt down more than once, and the
present fine building was not begun until the time of
Bishop Gisico (12S7?-1300?). It is built of brick in
pure Gothic stvie and is considered one of the largest
jmd finest ecclesiastical edifices in Deiunark. Its
construction was c<intinued under his successor, Peter
Pagh (1304-39), who apparently assisted, even if he
did not found, the school at (Idense. The next bish-
op, Nicholas Jonsen (134(M)2), made the school a free
one in 1349; before this the jiupils paid half the cost
of their education. Bishop Mogens Krasse (1460-
74) seems to have finished the cathedral. His suc-
cessor, Charles Riinnow (1474-1.501), who had been
provost of the Church of Our Lady, was hostile to
the Benedictine monks at St. Canute's, and in 1474
dro\e them from the cathedral, replacing them with
regular canons. It was not till 14S9 that the monks
were brought back, at the command of Innocent
VIII.
Long before this Odense was one of the richest bishoprics in Denmark. It was so exclusively re- garded as belonging to the nobiUty that the famous Bishop Jens Andersen Bcldenak endured much perse- cution on account of his humble origin. In 1529 he resigned his bishopric to Canute Henriksen Gylden- Btjeme, Dean of Viborg. The latter can scarcely be regarded as a Catholic bishop. His election was never confirmed by the pope, and though imprisoned in 1.536 he was released in 1.537. From the beginning of his episcopate he had practically been a Lutheran, and after 1.537 he married and lived as a rich lay nobleman until his death (lo68). Besides the cathe- dral atl Oden.se with its crypt, containing the' bodies of St. Canute and of his brother Prince Benedict, and its glorious reredos, etc., there are many fine churches at Nyborg, Svendborg, and elsewhere. Before the Reformation the diocese contained Augustinian Canons at St. Mary's, Odense; Benedictines at the cathedral, Odense, and at Halsted (Laaland); Bene- dictine (?) nuns at St. Gertrude's, Odense; Augustin- ian nuns at Dalum; Cistercian monks at Holm (In- sula Dei), now BrahetroUcborg; Franciscans at Odense,' Svendborg, Nysted, and Nykjobing (Falster); Dominicans at Odense; CarmeUtes at Assens; a con- vent of Poor Clares at Odense; and a Brigittine ab- bey at Maribo (Laaland), the latter until 1620. Finally there were hospitals of the Holy Spirit at Odense, Assens, Faaborg, and Nakskov, and a Commandery of the Knights of St. John at Odense.
At present there are Catholic churches at Odense (Church of St. Alban, dedicated in 1907), Svendborg, Nyborg, Assens, Maribo, and Glorup, as well as schools. There are also Rodemptorists of the Aus- trian province at Odense and Franciscans at Maribo. The Sisters of St. Joseph have a hospital at Odense, while those of St. Hcdvig have a sanatorium in the ancient nunner>' of D.ilutn besides creches and kinder- gartens at Odense and Nyborg.
ScTipl. rer. ilan., HI (Copenhagen, 1774), .•il7-^22; VII (ed. 1792), 216-43: SamU<i{i<r til F}/ens Hislorie (Odense, 1861-62), I 24.5-328; II. 18-121: Daucaard. De danske Kt6slre i MiddelnU- eren (Copenhagen. 1H.'J0): Mi>ller. Jens Anrleraen Beldenak (2nd ed.. Odense. I.S.17); Bkicka. Dnnnk bioijra/Uk Leksikon. VII (Copenhagen, 1892); Knud llemlrik.ien Gyldemtjernt, 378-83; Metzler, Biskop Johannes von Euch (Copenhagen, 1910) ; Gertz, ViicE sanctorum danorum, I (Copenhagen. 1908), 27-166.
A. W. Taylor.
Oslo (Asloia), Ancient See op (Asloensis), in Norwaj'. Oslo occupied part of the site of Christiania (founded 1624). After the formation of the Diocese of Hamar (q. v.) in 11.52, the Diocese of O.slo was limited to the Provinces of Christiania, Smaalenene, XVI— .5.
Jarlsberg and Laurvik, and Akershus in Norway, and
the Counties of Goteborg (Gothenburg) and Bohus
in Sweilen. Although Rudolf, a court bishop brought
by St. Olave from Rouen, lived at Sarpsborg (1015-
30) and worked in the surroimding district, Asgaut
(1047-72?) is usually regarded as the first Bishop of
Oslo. Of his successors Nicholas Arnesson (1190-
1225) played a great though unhappy part in Nor-
wegian politics. Bishop Haakon (1248-65) was very
generous towards the chapter of Oslo; he was trans-
ferred to Trondhjem. Helge II (1.304-21) was also a
munificent benefactor of his diocese. Bishop Solo-
mon (1322-52) was the only Norwegian bishop who
survived the Black Death in 1349. In 13.50 he con-
secrated Gisebert, Bishop of Bergen, and Gyrder
Ivar.s.s6n, Bishop of Skalholt (Iceland). In 13.52, by
a provision of Pope Clement VI, Gyrd Asles.s6n, Bishop
of Oslo, was compelled to exchange bishoprics with
Bishop Sigfrid of Stavanger. Bishop Eystein of
Oslo (1385-1407) and Dean Arne of the Royal Chapel
at Oslo took a prominent part in the negotiations
connected with the union of Denmark, Norway, and
Sweden under Queen Margaret in 1397. Bishop As-
lak Harniktsson Bolt of Oslo exchanged bishoprics in
1408 with Bishop Jakob Knutsson of Bergen, from
which see Bolt was transferred to Trondlijem. In
1.522 Hans Mule, a favourite of Christian II and com-
mandant of the Castle of Akershus, forced Bishop
Andrew Muus to resign. Mule was consecrated
bishop in 1524, but was drowTied the same j'ear. He
was succeeded in 1525 by Hans Reff (d. 1.545), the last
Catholic bishop. Although originally a partisan of
Christian II, RefT paid homage to Frederick I in
1532. He resigned his bishopric into King Christian
Ill's hands in 1536, but was appointed as Lutheran
superintendent of the Dioceses of Oslo and Hamar in
1,541.
The cathedral of Oslo, which originated from the foundation of the town by King Harald Hardraade (c. 1060), was the finest building in the diocese. It was dedicated to St. Halvard, a cousin of Kings Harald Hardraade and St. Olaf, who had been killed when defending a pregnant woman from her pursuers, and whose body was cast up on the shore near Oslo. His silver shrine was placed in the cathedral, when it was rebuilt after Oslo had been burnt by the Danes in 1137, and it remained there tiU the Reformation. Important councils were held at Oslo in 1306 and 1436. The first of these was largely concerned with the maintenance of discipUne in religious houses. It also issued an exhortation to bishops to have a priest always ready to hear confessions in every cathedral church. In 1436 canons were made with regard to the payment of tithe and other matters. Besides the cathedral chapter with an archpriest and canons, founded soon after 11.50, there w;vs a collegiate church at Oslo, namely, the Royal Chapel of St. Mary, with a provost, six canons, and six vicars. In 1314 Haakon V united the provostship of St. Mary's, Oslo, with the dignity of chancellor of the kingdom. The city also contained a Benedictine nunnery (Nonneseter) dedi- cated to .St. M.ary and founded before 11.50, as well as a Dominican priory (St. Olave's) from before 1240 and a Franciscan priory founded about 1286. The great Cistercian Abbey of Hovedoe lay close to Oslo and was founded by monks from Kirk.stead in Lincoln- shire (England) in 1 147. Other religious houses in the diocese were the Premonstr.atensian Abbey of St. Olaf at Tonsberg founded from Pri?montr(5 (c. 1190), and the Benedictine nunnerj' at Gimsoe (c. 1110). There were also I'ranciscan (Minorite) priories at Tonsberg, Konghelle, and ISIarstrand (Sweden). Dragsmark (Mariskog, Silva Sanctae Maria;), in the Swedish part of the diocese, seems to have belonged to the Premon- stratensians. Lastly there were the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem at Varna, for the benefit of the king's courtiers and followers, and the house of
