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75-485: Osterøy municipality and Vaksdal Municipality are both located on the island of Osterøy . Osterøy municipality covers most of the island with the mostly uninhabited northeastern part of the island belonging to Vaksdal municipality. Osterøy is located a short distance northeast of the city of Bergen . It is surrounded by the Osterfjorden , Sørfjorden , and Veafjorden . The 19th-century musician and composer Ole Bull had

150-494: A tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design was chosen to symbolize the importance of industry in the municipality. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms. A new coat of arms was granted on 16 November 1990 to replace the old arms. The official blazon is " Or , three shuttles sable palewise two and one" ( Norwegian : På gul grunn tre opprette svarte skytlar ). This means

225-612: A few years later enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral . The cathedral with its shrine to St. Olav became the major Nordic place of pilgrimage until the Lutheran reformation in 1537. The whereabouts of Saint Olaf's grave have been unknown since 1568. Saint Olaf is traditionally regarded as being responsible for the final conversion of Norway to Christianity, and is still seen as Norway's patron saint and "eternal king" ( Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae ). The Nordic churches were initially subordinate to

300-603: A graphic designer who based the design on an idea by the local artist E. Eriksen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms. The Church of Norway has six parishes ( sokn ) within the municipality of Vaksdal. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti ( deanery ) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin . The municipality is mountainous, and stretches along both sides of the Veafjorden with adjacent valleys. It includes part of

375-578: A main span of 595 metres (1,952 ft), the third longest suspension bridge main span in Norway, for a total length of 917 metres (3,009 ft). Since 2015, the bridge has been toll-free. There are no road connections from Osterøy municipality to the Vaksdal municipality part of Osterøy island. That part of the island has the Kallestadsundet Bridge connecting it to the rest of Vaksdal municipality from

450-598: A number of large Christian organizations were created; they still serve as a "second line" in Church structure. The most notable of these are the Norwegian Missionary Society and the Norwegian Lutheran Mission . During World War II , after Vidkun Quisling became Minister President of Norway and introduced a number of controversial measures such as state-controlled education, the church's bishops and

525-399: A population of 8,152. The municipality's population density is 33.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (87/sq mi) and its population has increased by 6.2m% over the previous 10-year period. The municipality sits on the island of Osterøy , and it is surrounded by several fjords: Osterfjorden - Romarheimsfjorden , Sørfjorden , and Veafjorden . The highest mountain in the municipality is

600-516: A summer home in Valestrandfossen in Osterøy. The historic Havrå farm is a cluster farm which represents the traditional way of living for farmers. Havrå is located on the southeastern part of the municipality. The 255-square-kilometre (98 sq mi) municipality is the 284th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Osterøy is the 131st most populous municipality in Norway with

675-600: Is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal . The municipal council ( Kommunestyre ) of Osterøy is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party . The mayors ( Nynorsk : ordførar ) of Osterøy (incomplete list): Osterøy

750-447: Is a lay member appointed by church employees; one is a member appointed by the clergy; and the bishop. In addition, one representative from the Sami community in each of the three northernmost dioceses, representatives from the three theological seminaries, representatives from the youth council. Other members of the national council are also members of the general synod. The national council,

825-454: Is a member, automatically become members. This has been controversial, because many become members without knowing, and this favours the Church of Norway over other churches. This law remained unchanged even after the separation of church and state in 2012. In 2000, the Church of Norway appointed the first openly partnered gay priest. In 2007, a majority in the general synod voted in favour of accepting people living in same-sex relations into

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900-403: Is by far the largest church in Norway; until the mid 19th century the state church had a near-total monopoly on religion in Norway. It was the only legal church in Norway, membership was mandatory for every person residing in the kingdom and it was forbidden for anyone other than the official priests of the state church to authorise religious meetings. After the adoption of the 1845 Dissenter Act ,

975-453: Is connected to the mainland by a ferry from Breistein to Valestrand, and by a bridge on the far southern end of the island. The ferry named "Ole Bull" is sailing every half-hour from Breistein and Valestrand from early morning to late in the evening. The Osterøy Bridge , finished in 1997, provides Osterøy with its only permanent road connection to the mainland in Bergen municipality. The bridge has

1050-410: Is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal . The municipal council ( Kommunestyre ) of Vaksdal is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show

1125-454: Is mentioned specifically in the 1814 constitution and is subject to the Church Act. Municipalities are required by law to support activities of parishes and to maintain church buildings and church yards. Other religious communities are entitled to the same level of government subsidies as the Church of Norway. The church is led by ordained priests , traditionally and primarily divided into

1200-491: Is the genitive case of the word vágr which means " bay " or " inlet ". The last element is dalr which means " valley " or "dale". Alternately, the first part of the name could be derived from a local river name spelled Vaxa or Veksa which would mean the valley of the river Vaxa/Veksa. On 1 January 1964, the new municipality of Vaksdal was established upon the merger of Bruvik municipality with some neighboring areas. The old coat of arms for Bruvik Municipality

1275-464: Is the 160th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vaksdal is the 206th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,875. The municipality's population density is 5.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (15/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 6.2% over the previous 10-year period. In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that

1350-713: The Bible ' s Old and New Testaments and occasionally including the Apocrapha , along with the three historic creeds of faith in the Apostles' , Nicene , and Athanasian Creeds , Luther's Small Catechism , Luther's Large Catechism , the Smalcald Articles and the Augsburg Confession of 1530, along with several other seminal documents in the Book of Concord: Confessions of

1425-878: The Archbishop of Bremen , until the Nordic Archdiocese of Lund was established in 1103. The separate Norwegian Archdiocese of Nidaros (in today's Trondheim ) was created in 1152, and by the end of the 12th century covered all of Norway , parts of present Sweden , Iceland , Greenland , the Isle of Man , the Orkney Islands , the Shetland Islands , the Faroe Islands and the Hebrides . Another site of medieval pilgrimage in Norway

1500-575: The Church of England (Anglican Church) that was begun by the intense political action and requests for an annulment by King Henry VIII . This was followed in later centuries by a worldwide movement of the Anglican Communion which later recognized in the 20th and 21st century and declared intercommunion with several other denominations such as the Lutherans, Presbyterians, Reformed, Methodists, etc. Until

1575-545: The Sami Church Council is responsible for the Church of Norway's work among the country's indigenous Sami people. The Bishops' Conference of the Church of Norway convenes three times a year, and consists of the twelve bishops in the church (the 11 diocesan bishops and the Preses ). It issues opinions on various issues related to church life and theological matters. The church also convenes committees and councils both at

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1650-514: The hydro-electric power resources provided by the mountainous terrain and rainy climate. The Bergensbanen railway line between Norway's two largest cities Oslo and Bergen , and the main road between the same two cities, European route E16 , run through Vaksdal municipality. The Bergensbanen railway line has the following stations in Vaksdal: Bogegrend Station , Dale Station , Stanghelle Station , and Vaksdal Station Vaksdal

1725-644: The 868-metre (2,848 ft) tall Høgafjellet on the municipal border with Vaksdal. The Lonevågen fjord cuts in the center of the island, with the village of Lonevåg sitting at the end of the fjord. Osterøy contains six "urban settlements" , as defined by Statistics Norway (with populations listed from 1 January 2016): Valestrandfossen (1,218 inhabitants), Lonevåg (875 inhabitants), Hausvik (655 inhabitants), Haugo (617 inhabitants), Fotlandsvåg (320 inhabitants), and Hamre (217 inhabitants). Other rural settlements in Osterøy include Austbygdi , Bruvik , Gjerstad , and Hosanger . The municipality of Osterøy

1800-471: The Church of Norway as an independent legal entity rather than a branch of the civil service, and the law took effect on 1 January 2017. The church remains state funded. Until 1845 the Church of Norway was the only legal religious organization in Norway and it was not possible for a person to end membership in the Church of Norway. The Dissenter Act ( Lov angaaende dem, der bekjende sig til den christelige Religion, uden at være medlemmer af Statskirken )

1875-563: The Church of Norway increased autonomy, and states that "the Church of Norway, an Evangelical-Lutheran church, remains Norway's people's church, and is supported by the State as such" ('people's church' or folkekirke is also the name of the Danish state church , Folkekirken ), replacing the earlier expression which stated that "the Evangelical-Lutheran religion remains the public religion of

1950-462: The Church of Norway voted to allow same-sex marriages . The decision was ratified on 11 April 2016. The first same-sex marriage ceremony in the church occurred on 1 February 2017 just after midnight. On 21 May 2012, the Norwegian Parliament passed a constitutional amendment for the second time (such amendments must be passed twice in separate parliaments to come into effect) that granted

2025-484: The Church of Norway was a church free of the State. Since World War II, a number of structural changes have taken place within the Church of Norway, mostly to institutionalize lay participation in the life of the church. Norwegians are registered at baptism as members of the Church of Norway, and many remain members, using services such as baptism , confirmation , marriage and burial, rites which still have cultural standing in Norway. 68.7% of Norwegians were members of

2100-580: The Church of Norway. The Church of Norway does not own church buildings, which are instead owned by the parish and maintained by the municipality. The focus of church life is the Sunday Communion and other services, most commonly celebrated at 11:00 a.m. The liturgy is similar to that in use in the Roman Catholic Church. The language is entirely Norwegian, apart from the Kyrie Eleison , and

2175-463: The Constitution states that the church is to be Evangelical-Lutheran. After the changes in 1997 and 2012, until the change in 2017, all clergy remained civil servants (state employees), and the central and regional church administrations remained a part of the state administration. The Church of Norway is regulated by its own law ( kirkeloven ) and all municipalities are required by law to support

2250-611: The Evangelical Lutheran Church presented in 1580. All Evangelical Lutheran clergy (bishops, priests/pastors, deacons and other ministers) along with the teaching in classes for the Rite of Confirmation for young people and those considering full adult membership are required to read and understand with clergy swearing faithfulness at their ordination . The church is a member of Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe , having signed

2325-753: The Leuenberg Agreement with other Lutheran and Reformed churches in 1973. It is also a member of the Porvoo Communion with 12 other churches, among them, the Anglican churches of Europe. It has also signed some other ecumenical texts, including the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church and the Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Bishop Munib Younan in

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2400-546: The Netherlands (now in Belgium). Catholic priests were persecuted, monastic orders were suppressed, and the crown took over church property, while some churches were plundered and abandoned, even destroyed. Bishops (initially called superintendents ) were appointed by the king. This brought forth tight integration between church and state. After the introduction of absolute monarchy in 1660 all clerics were civil servants appointed by

2475-409: The State." The constitution also says that Norway's values are based on its Christian and humanist heritage, and according to the Constitution, the king is required to be Lutheran. The government still provides funding for the church as it does with other faith-based institutions, but the responsibility for appointing bishops and provosts now rests with the church instead of the government. Prior to 1997,

2550-529: The activities of the Church of Norway and municipal authorities are represented in its local bodies. The amendment was a result of a compromise from 2008. Minister of Church Affairs Trond Giske then emphasized that the Church of Norway remains Norway's state church , stating that "the state church is retained. Neither the Labour Party nor the Centre Party had a mandate to agree to separate church and state." Of

2625-497: The appointments of parish priests and residing chaplains was also the responsibility of the government, but the church was granted the right to hire such clergy directly with the new Church Law of 1997. The 2012 amendment implies that the church's own governing bodies, rather than the Council of State , appoints bishops. The government and the parliament no longer have an oversight function with regard to day-to-day doctrinal issues, although

2700-491: The arms have a field (background) has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The charge is a set of three shuttles for weaving that are lined up vertically. The shuttles were chosen to represent the past and present textile industry of the municipality. The Dale of Norway company is based here and it is an international company renowned for its wool sweaters. The arms were designed by Charles Lunde,

2775-534: The church as "Norway's people's church" ( Norges Folkekirke ), with a new provision that is almost a verbatim copy of the provision for the Danish state church ( folkekirken ) in the Constitution of Denmark ; the Minister of Church Affairs Trond Giske stressed that the reform meant that "the state church is retained", On 27 May 2016 Stortinget ( Parliament of Norway ) approved a new legislative act to establish

2850-502: The city of Lund , Sweden , in 2016. As of 2017 the church is legally independent of the government. According to the constitution it serves as the "people's church" in the Kingdom of Norway . Until 1969, the church's name for administrative purposes was simply the "State Church" or sometimes just "the Church", whereas the constitution described it as the "Evangelical-Lutheran Church". A constitutional amendment of 21 May 2012 designates

2925-426: The current and historical composition of the council by political party . The mayors ( Nynorsk : ordførar ) of Vaksdal (incomplete list): Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( Bokmål : Den norske kirke , Nynorsk : Den norske kyrkja , Northern Sami : Norgga girku , Southern Sami : Nöörjen gærhkoe ) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far

3000-485: The east. Vaksdal Municipality Vaksdal is a municipality in the county of Vestland , Norway . It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland . The administrative centre is the village of Dalekvam . Other villages in Vaksdal include Dalegarden , Flatkvål , Helle , Nesheim , Stamneshella , Stanghelle , and Vaksdal . The 715-square-kilometre (276 sq mi) municipality

3075-614: The end of the Early Middle Ages and was part of Western Christianity , acknowledging papal authority until the 16th century. The Roman Catholic Church exercised a significant degree of sovereignty in Norway and essentially shared power with the King of Norway as the secular ruler. The Lutheran reformation in Denmark–Norway in 1536–1537 broke ties with the Holy See , around two decades after

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3150-481: The executive body of the synod, is convened five times a year and comprises 15 members, of whom ten are lay members, four are clergy and one is the presiding bishop. It prepares matters for decision-making elsewhere and puts those decisions into effect. The council also has working and ad hoc groups, addressing issues such as church service, education and youth issues. The Council on Ecumenical and International Relations deals with international and ecumenical matters, and

3225-595: The government parties, the Labour Party and the Centre Party supported a continued state church, while only the Socialist Left Party preferred a separation of church and state, although all parties eventually voted for the 2008 compromise. The final amendment passed by a vote of 162–3. The three dissenting votes, Lundteigen , Ramsøy , and Toppe , were all from the Centre Party . Though still supported by

3300-500: The island Osterøy . The Kallestadsundet Bridge connects the mainland of Vaksdal to the island of Osterøy. In the north, it includes the valleys of Eksingedalen and Bergsdalen , with its borders extending into the mountains. Major lakes in the municipality include Askjelldalsvatnet and Skjerjavatnet . The main centers of population are Dale (pop. 1174), Vaksdal (pop. 957), and Stanghelle (pop. 767). Dale and Vaksdal are industrial villages that arose around factories utilising

3375-502: The island. The first element of the name has an uncertain meaning. It is possible that it comes from the word óstr which means "east". Another interpretation is that it is derived from the word auka which means "increase" or "surpass", thus it could be referring to the large size of the island. The last element, øy , was added later, but that word comes from the Old Norse word ey which means " island ". The coat of arms

3450-670: The king, but theological issues were left to the hierarchy of bishops and other clergy. When Norway regained national independence from Denmark in 1814, the Norwegian Constitution recognized the Lutheran church as the state church. The pietism movement in Norway (embodied to a great extent by the Haugean movement fostered by Hans Nielsen Hauge ) has served to reduce the distance between laity and clergy in Norway. In 1842, lay congregational meetings were accepted in church life, though initially with limited influence. In following years,

3525-526: The largest Christian church in Norway . The church became the state church of Norway around 1020, and was established as a separate church intimately integrated with the state as a result of the Lutheran reformation in Denmark–Norway which broke ties with the Holy See in 1536–1537; the King of Norway was the church's head from 1537 to 2012. Historically the church was one of the main instruments of royal power and official authority, and an important part of

3600-478: The late 20th century and thus held the status of embetsmann (higher civil servant appointed by the King). Prior to 2000 ordination required the theological civil servant examination ( cand.theol. ) that required six years of university studies, but from 2000 other equivalent degrees may also be accepted for certain applicants over the age of 35 with relevant experience. Norway was gradually Christianized beginning at

3675-665: The liturgy for High Mass: (If there is a baptism it together with the Apostles' Creed may take place here or after the Sermon) (If there is no Communion, i.e., the Eucharist , the service concludes with the Lord's Prayer, an optional Offering, the Blessing and a moment of silent prayer) The Church of Norway traces its origins to the introduction of Christianity to Norway in the 9th century. Norway

3750-492: The modern era, the Church of Norway was not only a religious organisation but also one of the most important instruments of royal power and official authority, and an important part of the state administration, especially at the local and regional levels. The church professes to be "truly Catholic, truly Reformed, truly Evangelical" in the Evangelical Lutheran tradition of Western Christian faith, with its foundation on

3825-458: The municipality of Osterøy. It is part of the Åsane prosti ( deanery ) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin . Osterøy Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services , senior citizen services, welfare and other social services , zoning , economic development , and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor

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3900-522: The national level (such as the Doctrinal Commission ( Den norske kirkes lærenemnd ), and at diocesan and local levels, addressing specific issues related to education, ecumenical matters, the Sami minority and youth. There are 1,600 Church of Norway churches and chapels. Parish work is led by a priest and an elected parish council. There are more than 1,200 clergy (in 2007, 21% were women ministers) in

3975-455: The parish as an independent public institution. The Minister of Church Affairs, Trond Giske , was responsible for proposing the 2012 amendments, explaining that "the state church is retained". An act approved in 2016 created the Church of Norway as an independent legal entity, effective from 1 January 2017. The church has an episcopal-synodal structure, with 1,284 parishes, 106 deaneries, 11 dioceses and, since 2 October 2011, one area under

4050-516: The police station in Solund be closed. The municipality of Vaksdal was created on 1 January 1964 after a major municipal restructuring after the Schei Committee 's recommendations. Vaksdal was formed from the following places: The municipality (originally the parish ) is named after the village of Vaksdal ( Old Norse : Vágsdalr ), one of the main villages in the municipality. The first element

4125-496: The population attends church services or other religious meetings more than once a month. Baptism of infants fell from 96.8% in 1960 to 51.4% in 2019, while the proportion of confirmands fell from 93% in 1960 to 54.4% in 2019. The proportion of weddings to be celebrated in the Church of Norway fell from 85.2% in 1960 to 31.3% in 2019. In 2019 85.5% of all funerals took place in the Church of Norway. A survey conducted by Gallup International in 65 countries in 2005 found that Norway

4200-405: The priesthood. In 2008, the Norwegian Parliament voted to establish same-sex civil marriages, and the bishops allowed prayers for same-sex couples. In 2014, a proposed liturgy for same-sex marriages was rejected by the general synod. This question created much unrest in the Church of Norway and seems to serve as a trigger for conversions to independent congregations and other churches. In 2015,

4275-475: The ranks chaplain , parish priest ( sogneprest ) who was traditionally the head of a parish ( prestegjeld ; literally area that owes allegiance to a priest), provost ( prost ) and bishop . Today more priests may hold the title parish priest, while some priests who work directly under a provost are known as provostship priest ( prostiprest ). All priests were appointed by the King-in-Council until

4350-400: The singing of hymns accompanied by organ music is central. A priest (often with lay assistants) celebrates the service, wearing an alb and stole . In addition, a chasuble is worn by the priest during the Eucharist and, increasingly, during the whole service. The Church of Norway baptises children, usually infants and usually as part of ordinary Sunday services. This is a summary of

4425-638: The start of the Protestant Reformation . It later resulted in the separation of the Catholic Church dioceses in Norway and throughout Scandinavia and establishment of a state church intimately integrated with the state and completely subject to royal authority, with the King as Head of the Church on Earth instead of the Pope/Bishop of Rome. This action followed the example set earlier in the reformation of

4500-517: The state Church of Norway as of the end of 2019, a 1.2% drop compared to the year before and down about 11% from ten years earlier. However, only 20% of Norwegians say that religion occupies an important place in their life (according to a recent Gallup poll ), making Norway one of the most secular countries of the world (only in Estonia , Sweden and Denmark were the percentages of people who considered religion to be important lower), and only about 3% of

4575-409: The state administration; local government was based on the church's parishes with significant official responsibility held by the parish priest. In the 19th and 20th centuries it gradually ceded most administrative functions to the secular civil service. The modern Constitution of Norway describes the church as the country's " people's church " and requires the King of Norway to be a member. It

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4650-487: The state church retained its legally privileged position, while minority religious congregations such as Catholics were allowed to establish themselves in Norway and were legally termed "dissenters" (i.e. from the government-sanctioned Lutheran state religion). Church employees were civil servants from the Reformation until 2017, when the church became a legal entity separate from the state administration. The Church of Norway

4725-409: The supervision of the Preses . The dioceses are, according to the rank of the five historic sees and then according to age: The General Synod of the Church of Norway, which convenes once a year, is the highest representative body of the church. It consists of 85 representatives, of whom seven or eight are sent from each of the dioceses. Of these, four are lay members appointed by the congregations; one

4800-441: The top and one beneath. Broad axes were historically used in the construction of timber houses, which has long traditions in the municipality. Building craftsmen from Osterøy have been known for their solid work throughout the county. The designer was Egil Korsnes who based his design on the idea of Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms. The Church of Norway has five parishes ( sokn ) within

4875-467: The vast majority of the clergy disassociated themselves from the government in the Foundations of the Church ( Kirkens Grunn ) declaration of Easter 1942, stating that they would function only as pastors for their congregations, not as civil servants. The bishops were interned with deposed clergy and theological candidates from 1943, but congregational life continued more or less as usual. For three years

4950-507: The village of Vaksdal itself, from 19 to 23 April. Further fighting took place at Stanghelle and Dalseid on 23 and 24 April. Three Norwegian soldiers and one civilian, and a larger, but unknown, number of German soldiers fell in Vaksdal. Vaksdal Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services , senior citizen services, welfare and other social services , zoning , economic development , and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality

5025-679: Was Christianized as a result of missions from both the British Isles (by Haakon I of Norway and Olaf I of Norway ), and from the Continent (by Ansgar ). It took several hundred years to complete the Christianization, culminating on 29 July 1030 with the Battle of Stiklestad , when King Olaf II of Norway was killed. One year later, on 3 August 1031, he was canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell , and

5100-484: Was approved by the Storting on 16 July 1845 to allow the establishment of alternative religious (Christian) bodies. This act was replaced in 1969 by Lov om trudomssamfunn og ymist anna . Until 2012, the constitutional head of the church was the King of Norway , who is obliged to profess himself a Lutheran. After the constitutional amendment of 21 May 2012, the church is self-governed with regard to doctrinal issues and appointment of clergy. The Church of Norway

5175-410: Was carried over to the new municipality. Bruvik's arms were granted on 14 December 1960, just a few years earlier, and they were in use until 16 November 1990 when a new design was approved. The blazon for the old arms was " Azure , a chevron over a cogwheel argent " . This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a cogwheel with a chevron shape above it. The charge has

5250-405: Was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 after the merger of parts of Bruvik , Evanger , and Modalen municipalities. During the German invasion of Norway during World War II , from 19 April to 24 April, there was heavy fighting within the borders of the present municipality, with German forces advancing along the railway line from Bergen towards Voss . The heaviest fighting was for

5325-410: Was created on 1 January 1964 as part of a major municipal merger that was proposed by the Schei Committee . Osterøy was created from parts of four different municipalities that were all dissolved in the merger. The following areas were merged to form the new municipality of Osterøy: The municipality is named after the island of Osterøy ( Old Norse : Ostr ) since the municipality encompassed most of

5400-469: Was granted on 20 December 1985. The official blazon is " Argent , three axes fesswise azure blades to the base, 2-1" ( Norwegian : I sølv tre blå økser med blada ned, 2-1 ). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a set of three broad axes laying horizontally with their blades facing down, with two axes at

5475-560: Was subject to legislation, including its budgets, passed by the Storting, and its central administrative functions were carried out by the Royal Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs until 2017. Bishops and priests were civil servants also after the 2012 constitutional reform. Each parish has an autonomous administration. The state itself does not administer church buildings; buildings and adjacent land instead belong to

5550-541: Was the island of Selja on the northwest coast, with its memories of Saint Sunniva and its three monastery churches with Celtic influence, similar to Skellig Michael . The Reformation in Norway was accomplished by force in 1537 when Christian III of Denmark and Norway declared Lutheranism as the official religion of Norway and Denmark, sending the Roman Catholic archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson , into exile in Lier in

5625-576: Was the least religious among the Western countries surveyed, with only 36% of the population considering themselves religious, 9% considering themselves atheist, and 46% considering themselves "neither religious nor atheist". In spite of the relatively low level of religious practice in Norwegian society, the local clergy often play important social roles outside their spiritual and liturgical responsibilities. By law all children who have at least one parent who

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