Bergen Cathedral, formerly the Church of Saint Olaf, serves as the seat of the presiding Bishop.

[4] Prior to 1536, the state religion of Norway was Roman Catholicism, but the government of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway joined in with the Protestant Reformation and in 1536 it declared itself to be Lutheran, and the Church of Norway was formed.

In 1537, the diocese of Bjørgvin, heir of the ancient Diocese of Bergen, consisted of the (modern) counties of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane (with exception of the parishes of Eidfjord and Røldal).

The parish of Eidfjord was transferred from the Diocese of Stavanger to Bjørgvin in 1630.

[6] The Diocese of Bjørgvin is divided into ten deaneries (Norwegian: Prosti) in the new Vestland county.