Diocese of Hamar

For the old Roman Catholic diocese, see Ancient Diocese of Hamar.

The Diocese of Hamar (Norwegian: Hamar Bispedømme) is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner Municipality in Akershus county. Administratively, the diocese is divided into 10 deaneries and 164 parishes in the diocese. The seat of the Diocese of Hamar is located at the Hamar Cathedral (Norwegian: Hamar domkirke) in the city of Hamar.^[1][2]

Diocese of Hamar Hamar bispedømme
Hamar Cathedral
Location
Country	Norway
Territory	Innlandet and Akershus
Deaneries	9
Headquarters	Hamar
Statistics
Parishes	164
Members	312,987
Information
Denomination	Church of Norway
Established	1153 (Ancient Diocese of Hamar) 1864 (re-established)
Dissolved	1537 (Ancient Diocese of Hamar)
Cathedral	Hamar Cathedral
Leadership
Bishop	Ole Kristian Bonden
Map
Website
Official website

History

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamar was formed in the year 1152 when it was separated from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Christiania. At the time of the Protestant Reformation in Norway in 1536, the archbishop and the bishops were removed and the Diocese of Hamar once again came under the Diocese of Christiania within the new Lutheran Church of Norway. Mogens Lauritsson was the last Roman Catholic bishop of the Ancient Diocese of Hamar.

In 1864, the Lutheran Diocese of Hamar was established when it was separated from the Diocese of Christiania. Halvor Olsen Folkestad was the first bishop of this new Diocese of Hamar. Hamar Cathedral was consecrated on 15 December 1866 and it was established as the seat of the new Diocese of Hamar.^[3][4] On 1 January 2022, the churches in Jevnaker Municipality were transferred to the Ringerike prosti in the Diocese of Tunsberg.^[5]

In 2007, all the parishes in Ringsaker Municipality were transferred out of the Hamar domprosti and into the newly created Ringsaker prosti that was based in Moelv at Ringsaker Church.^[6] On 1 January 2025, the Ringsaker prosti was merged (back) into the Hamar domprosti once again.^[7]

Structure

The Diocese of Hamar is divided into nine deaneries (Norwegian: Prosti) spread out over Innlandet and Akershus counties. Each deanery corresponds a geographical area, usually one or more municipalities within the diocese. Each municipality is further divided into one or more parishes which each contain one or more congregations.

Deanery (prosti)	Municipalities	County	Location
Hamar domprosti	Hamar, Løten, Ringsaker, Stange	Innlandet
Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti	Kongsvinger, Eidskog, Sør-Odal, Nord-Odal, Grue, Åsnes, Våler
Sør-Østerdal prosti	Åmot, Elverum, Trysil, Engerdal, Stor-Elvdal
Nord-Østerdal prosti	Tynset, Alvdal, Folldal, Rendalen, Tolga, Os
Nord-Gudbrandsdal prosti	Dovre, Lesja, Lom, Nord-Fron, Sel, Skjåk, Vågå
Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti	Gausdal, Lillehammer, Ringebu, Sør-Fron, Øyer
Toten prosti	Gjøvik, Østre Toten, Vestre Toten
Valdres prosti	Sør-Aurdal, Nord-Aurdal, Etnedal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Vang
Hadeland og Land prosti	Gran, Søndre Land, Nordre Land
	Lunner	Akershus
See also: List of churches in Hamar

List of bishops

The following bishops have led the diocese since its creation in 1864:

• 1864–1887: Halvor Olsen Folkestad
• 1887–1906: Arnoldus Hille
• 1906–1917: Christen Brun
• 1917–1918: Otto Jensen
• 1918–1922: Gustav Johan Fredrik Dietrichson
• 1922–1934: Mikkel Bjønness-Jacobsen
• 1934–1942: Henrik Hille
• 1942–1943: Georg Falck-Hansen (appointed by Nasjonal Samling)
• 1943–1945: Sigurd Haga (appointed by Nasjonal Samling)
• 1945–1947: Henrik Hille
• 1947–1964: Kristian Schjelderup
• 1964–1974: Alexander Johnson
• 1974–1993: Georg Hille
• 1993–2006: Rosemarie Köhn
• 2006–2023: Solveig Fiske^[8]
• 2023–present: Ole Kristian Bonden