Grafarkirkja

Grafarkirkja at Grof a Hofdastrond is generally counted the oldest church building surviving in Iceland, its timber work dating to the second half of the seventeenth century and carved by Gudmundur Gudmundsson, a craftsman known for work of this kind in the north. It was deconsecrated and taken down in 1765 after church reorganisation, and the pieces were kept; the building was reassembled and restored in the twentieth century by the National Museum, which keeps it now. It stands small and dark inside a circular turf wall with the carved panels and door as the main thing to look at. It is opened by arrangement rather than kept staffed.

What you actually see

• The oldest church building in Iceland - seventeenth century timber work.
• Carving by Gudmundur Gudmundsson - the panels and door.
• Taken down in 1765 - and rebuilt in the twentieth century.
• A circular turf wall - the enclosure around it.

When to go

June to August, and by arrangement for the interior. An hour.

Honest expectations

The building is usually locked and seeing inside means arranging it in advance locally. It is tiny. The track in is gravel. There is nothing else at the site.

Nearby

Hofsos and its swimming pool are south; Saudarkrokur is beyond.