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

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

in the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

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

Vågå Vågå () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo. Other village areas in Vågå include Lalm and Besshe ...

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. Th ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. 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 1800–1805, he was a private tutor for members of the Løvenskiold noble family at

Løvenborg Savoy Hotel Copenhagen is a 66-room, privately run hotel located at Vesterbrogade 34 in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The hotel is based in the rear wing of the Løvenborg Building, Denmark's first example of Art Nouveau. The b ...

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is th ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

. 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 traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other sid ...

county, Norway. In 1810, he took a year-long teaching position at Prinds Christian Augusts Minde, 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 traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered t ...

. 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 ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) 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 ha ...

. 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 (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 male writers {{Norway-writer-stub