{"id":83151,"date":"2022-01-02T16:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T16:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/phototours\/?p=83151"},"modified":"2023-11-21T15:52:26","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:52:26","slug":"interesting-churches-of-iceland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/interesting-churches-of-iceland\/","title":{"rendered":"Interesting Icelandic Churches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I used to joke that there are more churches in Iceland than people. This is almost true outside of Reykjavik. Nearly every farm, village, or hamlet has a church. Over the last millennium, Christianity has dominated the religious landscape in Iceland. Here are a few churches that I thought you might like seeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<nav class=\"wp-block-stackable-table-of-contents stk-block-table-of-contents stk-block stk-aefe996\" data-block-id=\"aefe996\"><style>.stk-aefe996 .stk-table-of-contents__table{column-count:2 !important}.stk-aefe996 ul,.stk-aefe996 ol{padding-left:50px !important}<\/style><ul class=\"stk-table-of-contents__table\"><li><a href=\"#brautarholtskirkja\">Brautarholtskirkja<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#saubaerkirkja\">Saub\u00e6rkirkja<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#udalaskirkja\">Udalaskirkja<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#hofskirkja\">Hofskirkja<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#hallgrimskirkja\">Hallgr\u00edmskirkja<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nupsstadur-chapel\">N\u00fapssta\u00f0ur Chapel<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#budarkirkja\">B\u00fa\u00f0arkirkja<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"brautarholtskirkja\">Brautarholtskirkja<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the few remaining black churches in Iceland is Brautarholtskirkja. The church, which was constructed in the middle of the 19th century, is located in a neighbourhood named &#8220;Kjalarnes,&#8221; which, while being a little village miles away, is truly a part of Reykjavik. This Icelandic church is still quite active and well-maintained. Esjuberg, where the first church in Iceland is thought to have been built, is not far from Brautarholtskirkja Church. The first church in Esjuberg was constructed by \u00d6rlygur (gamli) Hrappsson of the Hebrides, long before Christianity became widely accepted in Iceland. With the flagpole and the Icelandic flag, I framed the church. Snow-covered Mount Esja is visible in the background. After a stunning woman named &#8220;Esja,&#8221; Mount Esja (also known as Reykjavik Mountain) was named.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"541\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/1Brautaholt.jpg?ezimgfmt=rs:541x800\/rscb1\/ng:webp\/ngcb1\" alt=\"Brautaholtskirkja Icelandic Flag\" class=\"wp-image-83152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/1Brautaholt.jpg 541w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/1Brautaholt-203x300.jpg 203w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 541px) 100vw, 541px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Brautaholtskirkja&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/Q575kjd5dC9T8sRh7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Location<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"saubaerkirkja\">Saub\u00e6rkirkja<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just a few miles further along the Kjalarnes coastline from Brautaholtskirkja&nbsp;is Saub\u00e6rkirkja. Saub\u00e6rkirkja is a concrete church which was built in 1904.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/SaubaerChurch.jpg\" alt=\"Saub\u00e6rkirkja in Kjalarnes.\" class=\"wp-image-85683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/SaubaerChurch.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/SaubaerChurch-300x288.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/SaubaerChurch-768x736.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Saub\u00e6rkirkja in Kjalarnes &#8211; the entrance to the Hvafjordur Tunnel is just to my left.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Saub\u00e6rkirkja in Kjalarnes replaced a wooden church that was destroyed in a violent storm in 1902.  The old wooden church was built around the same time as Brautaholtskirkja&nbsp;by Eyj\u00f3lfur \u00deorvar\u00f0arson.  If you are driving from Reykjavik, the farm estate is the last left turn before you enter the tunnel that goes under Hvalfjordur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"udalaskirkja\">Udalaskirkja<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Udalaskirkja is a red-roofed church in the Westfjords. The church is the most northerly church in this article and is close to a dead glacier. The Drangaj\u00f6kull Glacier was in the northern part of the Westfjords, one of the northernmost parts of Iceland. The now-extinct Drangaj\u00f6kull was the smallest glacier in Iceland, and Udalaskirkja was right on its doorstep. It is only practically possible to visit this Icelandic church in the summer because the road is not maintained in the winter. There is a sports club and guesthouse nearby. The owners told me about how a pregnant woman had to cross the Drangaj\u00f6kull Glacier to avoid starvation. This is thought to be the only known case of a pregnant woman crossing a glacier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church.jpg?ezimgfmt=ng%3Awebp%2Fngcb1%2Frs%3Adevice%2Frscb1-1\" alt=\"Udalaskirkja Westfjords church\" class=\"wp-image-83153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church-610x406.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Udalaskirkja&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/bnPeKuj8fMZZWymaA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Location<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hofskirkja\">Hofskirkja<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hofskirkja is in the tiny hamlet of Hof in East Iceland. Hof is close to Skaftafell. This church has a turf roof and is the youngest of three surviving turf roof churches in Iceland. There is a guesthouse in Hof, but I have never heard a good word said about it. I have never stayed there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Hoff.jpg?ezimgfmt=rs:800x450\/rscb1\/ng:webp\/ngcb1\" alt=\"Hofskirkja turf roof church\" class=\"wp-image-83154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Hoff.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Hoff-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Hoff-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Hoff-610x343.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There&nbsp;are&nbsp;two&nbsp;immaculate&nbsp;restrooms&nbsp;and&nbsp;an&nbsp;information&nbsp;desk&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;church.&nbsp;A&nbsp;display&nbsp;details&nbsp;the&nbsp;history&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Icelandic&nbsp;church&nbsp;and&nbsp;those&nbsp;responsible&nbsp;for&nbsp;its&nbsp;construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hallgrimskirkja\">Hallgr\u00edmskirkja<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/RD7A49902.jpg?ezimgfmt=rs:534x800\/rscb1\/ng:webp\/ngcb1\" alt=\"Hallgr\u00edmskirkja Reykjavik\" class=\"wp-image-83166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/RD7A49902.jpg 534w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/RD7A49902-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 534px) 100vw, 534px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hallgr\u00edmskirkja is a Lutheran church and one of Reykjavik\u2019s most famous landmarks. My photo only shows the steeple because I liked the way the snow had laid on the delicate architecture. The rest of Hallgr\u00edmskirkja is designed to resemble the basalt columns you see on the\u00a0Reynisfjara Beach.\u00a0 Hallgr\u00edmskirkja is the largest Icelandic church. Some people consider it to be a cathedral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/HalgrimsChurch2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-85684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/HalgrimsChurch2.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/04\/HalgrimsChurch2-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Statue of Leifur Eir\u00edksson with Halgrimskirkja behind.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hallgrimskirkja.is\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LINK<\/a> (Halgrimskirkja info)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nupsstadur-chapel\">N\u00fapssta\u00f0ur Chapel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>N\u00fapssta\u00f0ur is an abandoned farmstead close to Kirkjubaerklaustur in East Iceland. It has been abandoned since the last of two brothers died, leaving the estate to the Museum of Iceland, which has just left it abandoned. This picture was taken on a cloudy day when access to the farmstead was permitted. The tiny chapel is one of only three turf-roofed churches in Iceland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/nupir-landscape-photography-workshops\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/NupistadirChurch.jpg?ezimgfmt=rs:900x600\/rscb1\/ng:webp\/ngcb1\" alt=\"N\u00fapssta\u00f0ur Turf Chapel \" class=\"wp-image-83156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/NupistadirChurch.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/NupistadirChurch-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/NupistadirChurch-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/NupistadirChurch-610x407.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"budarkirkja\">B\u00fa\u00f0arkirkja<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>B\u00fa\u00f0arkirkja is a black church in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/budir\/\">B\u00fa\u00f0ir&nbsp;<\/a>on the Sn\u00e6fellsnes Peninsula in West Iceland. This Icelandic church is black due to the pitch used to protect the wood from the elements. B\u00fa\u00f0arkirkja is just about 200km from Reykjavik, but just walking distance from one of Iceland&#8217;s top hotels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/budir\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/photoguide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/RD7A5437.jpg?ezimgfmt=rs:900x600\/rscb1\/ng:webp\/ngcb1\" alt=\"B\u00fa\u00f0arkirkja Church\" class=\"wp-image-83157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/RD7A5437.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/RD7A5437-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/RD7A5437-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/RD7A5437-610x407.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I used to joke that there are more churches in Iceland than people.  Outside of Reykjavik, this is almost the case.  There is a church on almost every farm, village or hamlet.  Christianity has been the dominant religion in Iceland for the last thousand years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":83153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[91,2346,2343,2348,2347,2351,2344,2350,2318,317,2349,2345],"table_tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church.jpg",800,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church.jpg",800,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church.jpg",800,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/Church.jpg",800,533,false]},"post_excerpt_stackable":"<p>I used to joke that there are more churches in Iceland than people.  Outside of Reykjavik, this is almost the case.  There is a church on almost every farm, village or hamlet.  Christianity has been the dominant religion in Iceland for the last thousand years.<\/p>\n","category_list":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/category\/location-guide\/other-locations\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Other Locations<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Tony Prower","url":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/author\/walstib\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83151"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88655,"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83151\/revisions\/88655"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83151"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icelandaurora.com\/archive-phototours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=83151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}