# Bispegården

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Canonical page: https://mytuur.com/en/city/oslo/spot/bispegarden/

Content updated: 2026-06-22

Bispegården stands in Oslo’s historic centre, surrounded by ruins from the twelfth century. The neo-Gothic building dates from 1883–1884 and was designed by Henrik Thrap-Meyer. Its walls and roof rise above the remains of Olavsklosteret, a Dominican monastery probably founded in 1239. Today, the rooms serve church administration, including offices and meeting spaces for Oslo’s bishop and diocesan council.

The site became a bishop’s seat around 1070, while the medieval residence later grew into a fortified complex with towers and walls. After the Reformation, the bishop moved into the monastery’s east wing in 1554, which became a residence again after renovation in 1623. Parliament ordered the medieval elements preserved in 1882, allowing the nineteenth-century building to retain the old wing as its cellar. Three basement rooms survive from the monastery, and one became a chapel in 1968.

Inside, a gilded figure of Mary hangs near the main entrance, from Anton Christian Bang’s collection. Two leather chairs carry carvings of Trondenes Church and Tromsø beneath the midnight sun. The dining room holds a copy of John’s head from Nidaros Cathedral, Christian Krohg’s Sleeping Child, and a chandelier from Vækerø manor. In the chapel, traces of thirteenth-century wall decoration remain visible on the ceiling.

- City: [Oslo](https://mytuur.com/en/city/oslo/)

## Photos

- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_Bispegrden_6836e413f44f54dc86a1c06d_0.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oslo_bispegård_E.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_Bispegrden_6836e413f44f54dc86a1c06d_1.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LA2-Norway-heart.png)

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