Johan Storm Munch (31 August 1778 – 26 January 1832) was a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

in the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

. He was also known as a poet, playwright, and magazine editor. Munch was born at

Vågå Vågå () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of ...

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The ...

county, Norway. He was the son of parish priest Peter Munch (1740–1802) and Christine Sophie Storm (1746–1825). He was educated for the ministry principally by his father. From 1800 to 1805, he was a private tutor for members of the Løvenskiold noble family at Løvenborg in

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

in Denmark. In 1805, he was called to be an assistant pastor in

Skjeberg Skjeberg is a district of Sarpsborg, Østfold County, Norway. Skjeberg was formerly a municipality in Østfold County. The last administrative centre was at Borgenhaugen. As of 2018, Skjeberg has a population of 1,397. The parish of Skjeberg ...

Østfold Østfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...

county, Norway. In 1810, he took a year-long teaching position at

Prinds Christian Augusts Minde Prinds Christian Augusts Minde was an asylum, workhouse and social institution located at Storgata 36 in downtown Oslo, Norway. History Mangelsgården was built in 1670–1698. The building was originally raised as a holiday residence with ...

, a hospital and asylum in Christiania. He then became a private tutor in Christiania. In 1813, he was called to be the pastor in Sande in

Vestfold Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...

. In 1817 he received the call to work as vicar of the parish of Aker as well as the palace priest for

Akershus Fortress Akershus Fortress (, ) or Akershus Castle ( ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress has been the namesake and centre of the ...

. In 1823, he was appointed to be the Bishop of the Diocese of Christianssand where he was based at the Christianssand Cathedral. He held this position until his death in 1832. He published the poetry collection in 1813, edited the magazine ''Saga'' from 1816 to 1820, and published the play in 1825.

Personal life

In 1810, he married Else Petronelle Hofgaard (1790–1879). They were the parents of Norwegian poet and novelist,

Andreas Munch Andreas Munch (19 October 1811 – 27 June 1884) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, playwright and newspaper editor. He was the first person to be granted a poet's pension by the Parliament of Norway. Personal life Munch was born in Christiania, as ...

(1811–1884) as well as Norwegian Lutheran minister, Johan Storm Munch (1827–1908).

References

1778 births 1832 deaths People from Vågå 19th-century Norwegian poets Norwegian male poets Norwegian dramatists and playwrights Norwegian magazine editors Bishops of Agder og Telemark Order of the Polar Star Norwegian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Norwegian male writers {{Norway-writer-stub