The churches in Skálholt

The Church of Gissur the White 1000 – 1082

"Gizur hvíti had the first church built in Skálholt" says Hungurváku. That church became the cathedral of the Icelanders as soon as Ísleifur son of Gissur became bishop in 1056. This first church in Skálholt was probably built shortly after the conversion to Christianity in the year 1000 and was a small, buried wooden church The church is probably 80 years old.

The Church of Bishop Gissur 1082 - 1153

Gissur Ísleifsson was the great-grandson of Gissur the White. He took over as bishop from his father Ísleif Gissurarson. In Hungurväku it says: "Bishop Gizur son of Ísleif built a new church, 30 meters (60 m) long and dedicated it to Peter the Apostle. Gizur donated land to Skálholt's cathedral for a perpetual bishop's seat and stipulated that there should always be a bishop's chair there as long as Iceland is built and Christianity can be preserved." Gissur's church stood for about half a century, but Bishop Magnús Einarsson is said to have improved it and expanded it considerably. The church stood until 1153.

The Church of Klængur 1153 -1309

The Church of Klængur was the largest church in Skálholt but

Klængur bishop Þorsteinsson (1152-76) had it built from scratch. In Hungurvaku it says; "On two ships came the large timbers that Klængur had cut in Norway for the church he had built in Skálholt, which in everything was of better quality than any other house that was made in Iceland, both in terms of wood and construction." The church was dedicated to Peter the Apostle like the previous church and it was consecrated on June 15, 1153.
Þorlákur helgi Þorláksson served this church in the years 1178-93, but Þorlákur presented the church with a glass window that was installed in the church.

Klængskirkja burned down in 1309 when lightning struck the pillar.

The Church of Árni 1310-1527

Bishop Árni Helgason (1309-20) had a new church built, consecrated in 1311. Money had been collected all over the country for its construction. This church burned down during the time of Ögmund Pálsson, the last Catholic bishop in Skálholt, it was in 1526. Ögmund already started work on building a new church. Many men, scholars and games, gave a lot of money to the church. The new cathedral seemed auspicious and impressive when it was up. Since then, no church has burned down in Skálholt. Árnakirkja burned down in the summer of 1526/27, supposedly after a cleric had been careless with an incandescent candle.

The Church of Ögmundur 1527 - 1567

The Church of Árni burned down during the bishopric period of Ögmund Pálsson, but his first work after the fire was to have a temporary shelter built for mass. It was called Búðin or Kapellan, but was later called Þorláksbúd.

It is believed that in the summer after the fire, a ship was sent to Norway, specifically to Björgvinjar, where the place had forests. More material was picked up there and sent to Skálholt's warehouse at Eyrarbakki. From there, the wood was transported by tenants in Flóa, Grímsnes, Skeiður and Flóa back to Skálholt. The big tree was pulled by oxen, just like it was in Brynjólf Sveinsson's time. Ögmundarkirkja is believed to have been similar in size and shape to Gíslakirkja.

The construction of the church was the last architectural masterpiece of the Middle Ages, and bears good witness to the diligence of Bishop Ögmund Pálsson. Most suggest that the medieval churches were the largest churches ever built. It is believed that the church was the largest of the wooden houses in the Nordic countries

It is believed that the building of the church cost 2,784 cow's worth, and Bishop Ögmundur was in debt when he passed away.

The Church of Gísli 1567 - 1650

Of Gíslakirkja there are no assessments, no pictures or architectural remains, only a few words about its origin and construction time. The foundation that was excavated in Skálholt in 1954 was not under Ögmundarkirkja but Gíslakirkja.

Gíslakirkja 1567 - 1650

When Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson took over Skálholtsstaður and chair in 1639, the place and the church were in a dilapidated state, but he rebuilt both magnanimously and strongly at great expense.

Provost Jón Halldórsson described the construction of the church as follows:

"Not only did he get and import the best driftwood he could get, but he also ordered a lot of wood abroad, so in 1646 the second Eyrarbakka ship arrived almost full with spruce wood from Gulland which cost over 300 rijsdal and he intended for the church building. He got the best and most skilled carpenters to saw, cut and count the wood, sometimes 30 or more, to build the high church from 60 yards of iron in later times more frame-built houses and with better advantages were made of wood in this country than that Skálholtskirkja"

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This elaborate and auspicious church withstood the earthquakes of 1784, which destroyed all the other houses of the place. Brynjólfskirkja stood until 1850, when it was 200 years old. despite the sly maintenance at times.

The Church of Valgerður 1802 - 151

In 1775, Skálholt and the school of Skálholt was closed by the King of Denmark. Skálholt Cathedral now became an outlying church, first from Torfastaðir in Biskupstungur and later from Ólafsvællir in Skeiður and even later from Torfastaðir again.

In the aforementioned royal letter, it was ordered to sell the see properties to the highest bidder, and Bishop Hannes Finnsson bought Skálholt with all its quality, including the old cathedral. After Hannes's death in 1796, his widow Mrs. Valgerður Jónsdóttir continued to live in Skálholt. In the years 1802 - 04, she had the church renovated, "both with old wood from the ancient cathedral and new" as can be ascertained from the visitation from 1805. The new wood was 150 boards with which the roof was improved. Repairs seem to have involved breaking the ramparts and the tower. With that, the church changed its appearance, but seems to have kept its dignity, judging by the only picture that exists of it from this time and is shown. But the fate of the wave church was not avoided. In the bishop's visitation from the year 1848, the church is considered to be so "severely damaged that it is not possible to hold a mass in inclement weather. Both beams and boards are worn and torn, so obvious, but the church itself is so sunken that the posts are under damage. However, it could use a lot of large wood of the church, then it is built again."

Bishop Brynjólf's church has certainly not been put together, and could certainly still be standing today if it had been cultivated. It is not until 1850 that it has to give way to a new church, much smaller, which was built only on part of the ancient cathedral foundation.

The parish church 1851 - 1963

A small wooden church was built on part of Skálholt's ancient church foundation in 1851-52. In 1862, the church came into private ownership. "She has nothing in the ground and no cow values. All of the items and items that she previously owned have now all been sold." In 1910, it was described as follows: "The church is ancient, without a cross, without an altarpiece, inaccessible for the most part and usually not connected to a church, at least in this place". Around the same time, the parish committee of Skálholt Church suggested that Skálholt be saved as a church site and "that Skálholt Church be restored and shown all possible dignity in building and pastoral service". 40 years later, the old parish church gave way to a new and more auspicious church.