Thingeyrarkirkja (Þingeyrarkirkja) Church
Thingeyrarkirkja (Þingeyrarkirkja) Church
Dating from 1864-1877, this church was commissioned by a politician who wanted a grand house of worship on a site of historical and cultural importance, to replace the crumbling turf church. He ordered the new church to be made of stone.
As there was no suitable material in the Þingeyri area, the stone was hauled by sledge over the Hop lagoon during the winter months when the 8km wide lake was frozen.
The church is certainly impressive. Its walls are almost one meter thick, the ceiling is covered in 1000 golden stars and there are 1000 small panes of glass in the windows. It contains many precious artefacts, among them an alabaster altar, which most likely dates back to the 13th century.
The pulpit is dated 1696, and likely originates from Holland; the silver baptismal font is dated around the same time. Outside in the field is a site thought to have been an old regional assembly. Iceland’s first monastery was established here in 1112 and it is likely that some of the Icelandic Sagas may have been written here, though there is no conclusive proof.