Kirkjubaejarklaustur

Kirkjubaejarklaustur takes its name from a Benedictine convent founded in 1186 and closed at the Reformation; the site is marked but nothing stands. Its best known story belongs to the Laki eruption: in July 1783, with lava advancing towards the settlement, the priest Jon Steingrimsson held a service in the church that has been called the fire sermon, and the flow stopped short of the village. The lava's halt has a physical explanation, but the account was written down at the time and the event is still marked locally. Behind the village Systrafoss drops from the plateau, and the columns of Kirkjugolf lie at its edge.

History

Irish monks are thought to have lived here even before the Norse settlement, and from 1186 until the Reformation in 1550 the village was home to the Benedictine convent of Kirkjubær, recalled in the names of the waterfall Systrafoss and the lake Systravatn. During the Laki eruptions, on 20 July 1783, the pastor Jón Steingrímsson preached the "Fire Sermon", which legend says stopped the lava so that the village was spared at the last moment (Wikipedia, Kirkjubæjarklaustur).

The main sights

• A convent site from 1186 - marked, though nothing stands.
• The fire sermon of 1783 - preached as Laki's lava advanced.
• Systrafoss - the fall dropping behind the village.
• Kirkjugolf at the edge - the natural basalt pavement.

When to go

Year round; it is the main service stop on a long stretch of road. Half a day.

Practical notes

The village is small and the historic sites are markers rather than buildings. Services fill up in summer and are limited in winter. The surrounding lava field is the real attraction and it is fragile.

Nearby

Eldhraun and Dverghamrar are on route 1; Laki is inland on a highland track.

Key facts