Eastern Orthodoxy in Norway

Last updated
Eastern Orthodoxy in Norway
Oslo OurSavioursOrthodoxChurch01.JPG
Our Saviour's Orthodox Church in Oslo
Classification Eastern Orthodox Church
Region Norway
Origin1931
Members28,544

Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Norway is a small minority religion in Norway with 11,205 official members in 2012, [1] up from 2,315 in 2000. [2] although the church is rapidly growing, and predicted to surpass other Christian denominations. [3]

Contents

During 2022, approximately 34,000 Ukrainians arrived in Norway after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine; it was estimated that approximately two-thirds of them identified as Orthodox. [4]

History of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Norway

The Skolt Sami, Russian Orthodox St. George's Chapel in Neiden is a small house of prayer and a burial chapel that was originally built in 1565. Neiden Chapel.jpg
The Skolt Sami, Russian Orthodox St. George's Chapel in Neiden is a small house of prayer and a burial chapel that was originally built in 1565.

Since the Viking Age, Scandinavians came into contact with both the Byzantine Empire and their neighbors, the Russians. Several of the Viking chiefs and kings not only resided in Novgorod but also helped to make Kiev an important medieval center. At some point during the late ninth or early tenth century Kiev fell under the rule of Varangians and became the nucleus of the Rus' polity. In a number of contemporary sources it is in fact the Scandinavians whom were known as "Rus"; another term was used for the numerous Slavic tribes.

In the 16th century a Russian missionary, St. Tryphon of Pechenga, evangelized some of the Sami population of Norway and built an Orthodox chapel along the Neiden River. Following the socialist revolution in 1917, a number of Orthodox refugees from Russia fled to Scandinavia, first to Sweden and eventually to Norway. The Eastern Orthodox Church in Russia organized pastoral work among them through the church in Stockholm, founded in 1617. In 1931, St. Nikolai church was established in Oslo. This congregation of Russian tradition is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and was the first modern Orthodox congregation established in Norway. The 1960s and 1970s saw in influx of Orthodox from Greece in addition to the first known conversions of Norwegians in modern times. Through immigration from Russia, the former Yugoslavia, and other Eastern European countries, the number of Orthodox Christians in Norway has increased significantly since 1990. The past decade has also seen the more permanent establishment of Orthodox communities of Serbian, Bulgarian and Romanian tradition, the priests of these communities under their corresponding jurisdictions.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate

The Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe has one priest in Norway, specifically in Oslo. There are several affiliate or missionary communities in Bergen and Stavanger.

The Greek Community

The primarily Greek congregation of the Annunciation of the Theotokos was founded in 1965 with main purpose of serving the Greek-speaking Orthodox community in Norway. This church is under the jurisdiction of Metropolitan Cleopas (Strongylis) of Sweden and all of Scandinavia, and is based in Stockholm. The congregation celebrates the Divine Liturgy approximately once a month through the services of f. Alexandros.

The Serbian Patriarchate

St. Nikolai Eastern Orthodox Church in Oslo Hellige Nikolai kirke (mars 2016 - bilde02).jpg
St. Nikolai Eastern Orthodox Church in Oslo

The first modern Orthodox congregation, St. Nikolai Orthodox Church, was formerly under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe but is now part of the Serbian Orthodox Church. While it adheres to the Russian or Slavic tradition, the Norwegian language is always used along with Slavonic and at times used exclusively. This reflects the missionary tradition of the Orthodox Church, as in for example the work of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, renowned for helping to create a local alphabet (Cyrillic) in order to translate both the Holy Bible as well as the various liturgical books of the Eastern Orthodox Church. as well St. George's chapel at Neiden. In addition there is a small skete dedicated to St. Tryphon of Pechenga, home to two monks.

The Moscow Patriarchate

The Church in Barentsburg Kapellet.JPG
The Church in Barentsburg
St.Hallvard Eastern Orthodox Church. Oslo. Hl.Hallvard-2021-08-22-Pano.jpg
St.Hallvard Eastern Orthodox Church. Oslo.

The main parish of the Moscow Patriarchate, St. Olga's, was founded in Oslo in 1996. Today, there are also independent churches under the Moscow Patriarchate in Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Kirkenes. In addition, the Moscow Patriarchate sponsors work in Tromsø and in the Russian settlement of Barentsburg on Svalbard. Russian communities in northern Norway have often been attended to by Russian clergymen of the Moscow Patriarchate. there is two congregations under One in Oslo: «St.Hallvard orthodox Parish» : f.Olav Lerseth and «The Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Parish» in Bergen: f.Theodor Svane, both under Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe

Number of adherents

YearOrthodoxPercent
1980??
19901,2220.02%
20002,3150.05%
20055,0280.10%
20108,4920.17%
20119,8940.20%
201211,2050.22%
2013-2019??
202028.5440,53%

See also

Related Research Articles

The Archdiocese of America, better known as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, is a jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Church under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was formally constituted in 1922 and has had seven Archbishops. The Archdiocese currently covers the United States and one parish in the Bahamas, and is mostly Greek-American in composition and culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Orthodoxy</span> Churches with the liturgy in Church Slavonic

Russian Orthodoxy is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most Churches of the Russian Orthodox tradition are part of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir (Tikhonicky)</span> Russian archbishop and metropolitan of Orthodox churches

Metropolitan Vladimir was an Eastern Orthodox archbishop and metropolitan of, successively, the Moscow Patriarchate, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He was head of the Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe from 1946 to 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Israel</span> Overview of the role of the Catholic Church in Israel

The Catholic Church in Israel is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, in full communion with the Holy See in Rome. The Catholic Church in Israel is divided into three main jurisdictions: the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, and the Salesian Mission. Each of these jurisdictions has its own responsibilities and areas of operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Orthodoxy in Italy</span>

Eastern Orthodoxy in Italy refers to adherents, religious communities, institutions and organizations of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Italy. In 2014, there were 14 distinctive Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions on the territory of Italy, some of them belonging to canonical Eastern Orthodox churches, while others are classified as independent (noncanonical). First session of the Council of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in Italy was held in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Nice</span> Cathedral located in Alpes-Maritimes, in France

The St Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral, Nice is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral located in the French city of Nice. Property of the Russian Federation, it is recognized as a national monument of France, and it currently belongs to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. It is the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe</span> Diocese with a special status within the Russian Orthodox Church

The Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe, also called Archdiocese of Parishes of the Russian Tradition in Western Europe, is a Paris-headquartered diocese consisting of parishes in Russian orthodox tradition, located in Western Europe. The diocese hails from the Provisional Administration of Russian Parishes in Western Europe, created in 1921.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Orthodox Metropolis of Korea</span> Eastern Orthodox diocese

The Metropolis of Korea is an Eastern Orthodox diocese under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Korea.

The Exarchate of the Philippines is an exarchate or sub-diocesan entity of the Eastern Orthodox Metropolis of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia that is located in the Philippines. The metropolis is one of four metropolises in Asia that are under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The exarchate has five parishes and three chapels in the country.

Alfred Herbert Ernest Osborne, formerly known as Basil Osborne, is a former Eastern Orthodox Christian bishop. Osborne was formerly an auxiliary bishop of the Patriarchate of Moscow from 1991 to 2006 and a titular bishop under the Ecumenical Patriarchate from 2006 to 2010. He was returned to lay status, at his own request, in February 2010 after indicating to the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople that he wished to resume a family life and be free to remarry.

Eastern Orthodoxy in the Philippines, also known collectively as the Philippine Orthodox Church, refers to the Eastern Orthodox presence in the Philippines as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Orthodoxy in Vietnam</span>

Eastern Orthodoxy in Vietnam is represented by 3 parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church: one in Vung Tau, named after the icon of Our Lady of Kazan, where there are many Russian-speaking employees of the Russian-Vietnamese joint venture "Vietsovpetro", and also parish of Xenia of Saint Petersburg in Hanoi and parish of Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary in Ho Chi Minh City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">December 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)</span>

December 14 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - December 16

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Paris</span> Church in Paris, France

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox cathedral church located at 12 rue Daru in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was established and consecrated in 1861, making it the first Russian Orthodox place of worship in France. It is the see of the Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe, recently transferred to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow. It was built in part through a gift of 200,000 francs from Tsar Alexander II. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral had not been aligned with the Patriarch of Moscow since the Russian Revolution. But as of 14 September 2019 the jurisdiction of the parish community of the cathedral was transferred to the Patriarchate of Moscow. The cathedral should not be confused with Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, which is a provincial cathedral of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe . The closest métro station is Courcelles

The ROCOR Canonical and Official Representation in the Philippines is a jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Church under the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, a semi-autonomous jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate under Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), First Hierarch of the ROCOR. As of August 2013, there are four missions in the country.

The Patriarchal Exarchate in South-East Asia is an exarchate created by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on 28 December 2018.

The Diocese of Thailand is a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church which covers the territory Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. It is part of the Patriarchal Exarchate in South-East Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France</span>

The Metropolis of France, or the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France, is a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople established in 1963. It comprises the Eastern Orthodox parishes and monasteries in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joining of the Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe to the Moscow Patriarchate</span> Event of 2019

The joining of the Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe to the Moscow Patriarchate was the process of the Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe (AROCWE), formerly part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, entering the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa is the exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa. It was formed by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on December 29, 2021. The primate of the exarchate bears the title "of Klin". The administrative center of the exarchate is the patriarchal compound of the Church of All Saints at Kulishki in Moscow.

References

  1. Statistics Norway
  2. Statistics Norway
  3. Bergen (2021-08-26). "SSB: Den ortodokse kirke vokser i Norge". Hellige Jomfru Marias Bebudelse Ortodokse Kirke (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  4. US State Dept 2022 report