Peder Povelsson Paus

Peder Povelsson Paus (born 1590 in Oslo, died 21 July 1653 in Kviteseid) was a Norwegian high-ranking cleric who served as the provost of Upper Telemark from 1633 until his death.

He grew up in Oslo and is together with his brother, parish priest in Fredrikstad Hans Povelsson Paus, the progenitor of the family Paus. According to S. H. Finne-Grønn, the brothers were almost certainly the sons of burgher of Oslo Povel Hansson (born ca. 1545–50), a son of canon at St Mary's Church Hans Olufsson (died 1570), who held personal noble rank.^[1]

Peder Povelsson attended Oslo Cathedral School, where Bishop Niels Clausen Senning in 1609 selected him as the third singer of the cathedral school's choir; like his brother he sang alto. He attended the University of Copenhagen from 7 June 1611, and is the first Norwegian appearing in preserved matriculation records of the University of Copenhagen, for centuries Denmark-Norway's only university, under the name Petrus Paulli[nus] Asloensis ("Peter Paulson of Oslo"). Following his studies, he became a member of the clergy, one of the two (next to the nobility) privileged estates in Denmark-Norway in his lifetime.^[1]

Kviteseid Old Church (built ca. 1260), where Peder Paus is buried under the choir floor

He was headmaster of Skien Latin School as of 1617. In 1618 he became chaplain in Vinje and around 1621–1622 he became the parish priest of that district. Due to the limited income provided by the large but sparsely populated, mountainous and geographically remote district, he took a leave of absence in 1633 and went with his family to Oslo, where he immediately became a "12 o'clock priest" at Oslo Cathedral; the "12 o'clock priest" was responsible for the 12 o'clock sermon which was aimed particularly at young people and included the reading and explanation of the Catechism. In the same year he was appointed by King Christian IV of Denmark as parish priest of the wealthy district of Kviteseid (which also included Brunkeberg, Nissedal, Treungen and Vrådal), in succession to the late Jens Michelsen. He was then immediately elected as the new provost of all of Upper Telemark, also in succession to Jens Michelsen. As provost he was not only the religious leader of Upper Telemark, but also one of the foremost representatives of the state in Bratsberg. He lived at Kviteseid Farm, the largest farm in Kviteseid. From the 17th to the 19th century, his descendants were among the foremost of the regional elite, the close-knit "aristocracy of officials" in Upper Telemark, where many family members served as priests, judges and other officials and where several state and church offices in practice were hereditary in the family for extended periods.^[2] Peder Paus is the progenitor of all extant male lines of the family Paus. His descendants include the playwright Henrik Ibsen.^[1][2]

The tradition of Peder's great physical powers have been handed down in Kviteseid until the modern age. Peder was interred under the choir floor in the upper part of Kviteseid Old Church, where his son Povel Pedersson Paus placed a beautiful poem in Latin in memory of his father. The original was on display in the church until being given to the university library in Oslo by the widow of Magnus Brostrup Landstad. He was succeeded as provost of Upper Telemark by Sakarias Jonsson Skancke.^[1]

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