Bodil Katharine Biørn

Biørn was born on 27 January 1871 in Kragerø, Norway, to the family of a wealthy ship owner.

In cooperation with German missionaries, she opened schools and a clinic for widows and orphans.

A witness of the Armenian genocide, she and her colleagues saved the lives of many homeless women and children.

In the Near East, Biørn took care of Armenian orphans in Syria, Armenia and Turkey.

At the initiative of the Armenian community of Aleppo, a statue honoring Bodil Biørn was created and shipped to the city of Kragerø and erected there in 2004.