Bodil Biørn

About

Bodil Biørn was born in Kragerø on 27 January 1871. She belonged to a family that since the early 1700s had built wealth and influence in shipping, forestry and timber trade.

She got middle school exam and envisioned a future as a concert singer. Lite indicated that her life would be dramatic.

When she was 25 years old, experienced Bodil Biørn a personal religious conversion. She decided to spend his life in the service of God and to help sick and suffering people, especially children, and she trained as a nurse at the Deaconess House in Oslo. In 1903 she came in contact with the Female Missionary Workers, where she learned of the distress in Armenia. In 1904 she began the Danish KMAs missionary school in Copenhagen, and in 1905 she was ready to travel to Armenia. The first few years she was part of the organization Deutscher Hilfsbund, with support from the Norwegian KMA. From 1912 to 1935 she went home for good was she in Norwegian KMAs service.

She dedicated her life to help Armenian refugees and orphans who survived the Ottoman genocide in the early 20th century.

Bodil Biørn died on 22 July 1960

Memorial in Kragerø

A memorial Bodil Biørn was 29 May 2004 unveiled in front og Kragerø Rådhus. Bodil Biørn had lived in this building during his adolescence, the time the house belonged Biørn genus.

The memorial is a great stone from Aleppo with bronze relief and a plate with inscription

Given the Armenian survivors in Aleppo

It was donated to Kragerø municipality by a group of Armenians, in cooperation with Bodil Biorn grandson Jussi Flemming Biørn, in appreciation of Bodil Biorn efforts in Armenia to help its population during the Ottoman forced deportation.