POSTPONED UNTIL FALL! "In all respects a remarkable woman" - Bishop Valgerður Jónsdóttir

THE EVENT IS THEREFORE POSTPONED UNTIL THE FALL DUE TO UNCONTROLLABLE REASONS.

A NEW DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE END OF THE SUMMER.

"In all respects a remarkable woman": Bishop Valgerður Jónsdóttir

When Bishop Valgerður Jónsdóttir (1771–1856) was laid to rest, the words were said that she had been "in every way a remarkable woman". It is safe to accept that, as her life course was different from most other women. When Valgerður was 18 years old, she married Bishop Hannes Finnsson in Skálholt, who was fifty at the time. She became a widow at only 25 years old and ran a farm in Skálholt alone for ten years. Then she married her second husband, Steingrím Jónsson, who later became bishop of Iceland. Valgerður was an upper class woman, from a rich family, well educated and intelligent. She accumulated a lot of wealth, was involved in business and was one of the richest women in Iceland at the time. But she was also a daughter, wife, mother and grandmother. The talk will try to paint a picture of the famous woman Valgerði Jónsdóttir, but numerous sources have been preserved that can shed light on her life and history.

Halldóra Kristinsdóttir works as an expert in the manuscript collection of the National Library of Iceland - University Library. In 2021, she took part in setting up an exhibition in the museum where Valgerðar Jónsdóttir was remembered when 250 years had passed since her birth.

The Hvänn restaurant is open from 11:30 - 20:00 every day from May 1. To do, check out the restaurant for refreshments before or after the lecture.