Stafkirkjan Church stands by the harbour of Vestmannaeyjar, on the island of Heimaey in South Iceland. It is a close replica of the Haltdalen stave church and was a gift from Norway, completed on 30 July 2000 for the thousandth anniversary of Iceland's conversion to Christianity. The church was built in Lom in Norway and shipped over. Dark tarred timber, a shingled roof and a gallery around the outside make it unlike the other churches in Iceland, and it is open to visitors when unlocked.
Stafkirkjan Church
Local name: Stafkirkjan
The church was assembled in Lom in Norway from timber from Røros, shingles from Odalen, tar from Skjåk and iron from Vågå, then shipped to Iceland free of charge by the shipping company Eimskip.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible parking at the church.
- Parking
- Free car park about 20 m from the church.
- Transport
- Herjólfur ferry stop and Vestmannaeyjar stop, both about 600 m away.
- Address
- Skansinn, Heimaey (900 Vestmannaeyjar)
What makes it special
The church by the harbour is black tarred timber under a shingled roof, and it was built in Norway rather than in Iceland. Stafkirkjan Church is a close replica of the Haltdalen stave church, whose original dates from around the 1170s. Norway gave it to Iceland in 2000, a thousand years after the country's conversion to Christianity by Olav Tryggvason.
The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research ran the reconstruction as a research project from 1998 to 2000, led by professor Elisabeth Seip. The building went up in Lom, from materials drawn across Norway: timber from Røros, shingles from Odalen, tar from Skjåk, wrought iron from Vågå, a doorstep from Holtålen. The altar piece is a replica of the St Olav frontal, one of the finest surviving medieval Norwegian works of art; the original is in Nidaros Cathedral.
One feature is not medieval. The gallery running around the outside was added to brace the building against the storms of Vestmannaeyjar.
Good to know
- Not always open. The door is sometimes locked, so the interior cannot be counted on. The outer gallery is worth the stop in any case.
- Toilets are about 100 m from the church, with a second block, free to use, some 400 m away.
- Wind. The church stands in the open by the harbour, and Vestmannaeyjar weather blows hard. Bring a windproof jacket.
- Next door is a medical museum. The church sits inside the Skansinn heritage area, on lava from the 1973 Eldfell eruption.
Getting there
The church stands in the Skansinn area on the harbour side of Heimaey, on ground formed by the lava of the 1973 Eldfell eruption. The Herjólfur ferry stop and the Vestmannaeyjar stop are both about 600 m away, which puts the church within walking distance of the port. Drivers get closer still: the nearest car park is around 20 m from the building, and nothing separates it from the door but open ground.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Stafkirkjan Church an old church?
No. It was completed on 30 July 2000 and consecrated that summer. It is a close replica of the Haltdalen stave church in Norway, whose original dates from around the 1170s.Why is there a Norwegian stave church in Iceland?
It was a gift from Norway for the thousandth anniversary of Iceland's conversion to Christianity in the year 1000. The Norwegian state backed it with a grant of 5.5m Norwegian kroner, and Icelandic funding went into redeveloping Skansinn as a heritage area.Can you go inside?
Yes, when the church is unlocked, though the door is not always open. The interior is kept in good order, with chairs and the replica of the St Olav frontal above the altar.What else is there to see at the same stop?
A medical museum stands next door, and the church is part of the Skansinn heritage area by the harbour. Lava from the 1973 Eldfell eruption covers the ground around it, and the cliffs above the harbour are in view.