St Thorlaks Booth

Þorláksbúð is a hypothetical house about the buildings that stood here from the first half of the 16th century to the end of the 18th century

Þorláksbúd must have been first built during the time of Bishop Ögmund Pálsson in Skálholt, in the first half of the 16th century. The first building was probably built after the church in Skálholt burned down in 1527 and was used to hold masses while a new church was built. After that, Þorláksbúd served various roles throughout the centuries, until the end of the 18th century.

The farm was named after Þorláki the saintly Þórhallsson who was bishop of Skálholt 1178-1193, but many place names in Skálholt bear the name of this man who was Iceland's only saint.

Builder Gunnar Bjarnason designed and built Þorláksbúd, but he had a lot of knowledge and experience in the construction of medieval buildings. The Þorláksbúð that stands here is a replica of the cabin at Keldum and refers to the buildings that stood on this site over the centuries and is a kind of window into the history of Skálholt. The reconstruction of Þorláksbúðar was controversial, but it was carried out prior to archaeological research.