Abraham Pihl

Abraham Pihl (3 October 1756 – 20 May 1821) was a Norwegian clergyman, astronomer, and architect.^[1]

Abraham Pihl
Abraham Pihl (portrait in his church) by Johannes Flintoe
Born	(1756-10-03)3 October 1756 Gausdal, Norway
Died	20 May 1821(1821-05-20) (aged 64)
Occupation(s)	priest, architect, astronomer, watchmaker
Notable work	Vang church at Ridabu

Vang Church in Hedmark designed by Abraham Pihl

Torshov farm building in Vang designed by Abraham Pihl

Biography

Abraham Pihl was born in Gausdal, Oppland County, Norway. He completed seminary at the University of Copenhagen in 1783, where he had also studied mathematics, mechanics and astronomy.^[2]

In 1784, Pihl became vicar of Flekkefjord in the county of Vest-Agder. From 1785 he was appointed Denmark-Norway's astronomical observer in Norway. In 1789, he was appointed to serve as priest of Vang Church in Hamar, Hedmark, where he would serve until his death in 1821.^[3] When Vang church burned down in 1804, Pihl designed the new church and oversaw construction work. The church has an octagonal shape and, with 1000 seats, is the second largest of Norway's octagonal churches. The building later served as a model for octagonal churches on the western side of Mjøsa.^[4]

Pihl developed a large collection of self-made astronomical instruments, and also made telescopes and sextants for others. He designed Vang Church, which burned down and was rebuilt between 1804 and 1810. He started large-scale production of pendulum clocks. The rectory became the largest employer in Vang, with up to 140 persons employed.^[5][6] His interest in practical matters categorized him as a so-called "potato priest" (Norwegian: potetprest).^[7][8]

Honors

He was decorated Knight of the Order of Dannebrog in 1809 for his scientific efforts.^[9]

Personal life

His father Andreas Pihl (1726–1781) was vicar of Gausdal. His grandfather Joachim Pihl (1689–1762) was provost for Gudbrandsdalen. In 1784, he married Anna Cathrine Neumann (1764–1850), daughter of Jacob Neumann, who operated the Hassel Iron Works in Modum. They were the parents of eight children and were the grandparents of engineers Oluf Pihl and Carl Abraham Pihl.^[10][11]