Skalholt

Skalholt became a bishop's seat in 1056 and stayed the intellectual centre of Iceland for seven hundred years: the country's first school, its manuscript work, and the administration of the church all ran from a place that today is a church, a farm and a handful of buildings in open countryside. The Reformation ended here violently - Jon Arason, the last Catholic bishop in Iceland, was beheaded at Skalholt in 1550 together with two of his sons, which effectively closed Catholic resistance in the country. The see was moved to Reykjavik in 1785 after an earthquake and a hard winter. The present cathedral was consecrated in 1963; the crypt below holds excavated remains, including a bishop's stone sarcophagus found during the building work.

History

A bishopric was established at Skálholt in 1056, and until 1785 it was one of Iceland's two episcopal sees, with Hólar, and a cultural and political centre; Iceland's first official school, today's Reykjavík Gymnasium, was founded here the same year, and around 1075 Adam of Bremen described the place. In the Middle Ages the bishop's office, the cathedral and the school were surrounded by farms, a smithy and, while Catholicism lasted, a monastery; the end of Catholicism in Iceland was marked here in 1550, when the last Catholic bishop, Jón Arason of Hólar, was executed with his two sons, and the reliquary of St. Thorlac was destroyed (Wikipedia, Skálholt).

The main sights

• A seat from 1056 - the centre of Icelandic church and learning for seven centuries.
• Where the Reformation was closed - Jon Arason executed with his sons in 1550.
• A cathedral of 1963 - built over the excavated site.
• A crypt with the excavations - including a bishop's stone sarcophagus.

When to go

Year round; concerts and the summer music festival are worth timing for. Two to three hours.

Things to know

Almost nothing medieval survives above ground - the interest is historical rather than architectural. The exhibition is small. Opening hours vary by season and services take precedence. Facilities are modest.

Nearby

Geysir and Gullfoss are north; Fludir and Kerid are close by.

Key facts