Strandarkirkja

Strandarkirkja stands alone on the Selvogur shore with sand and lava around it and no village left nearby. Its reputation rests on a tradition of vows: crews in danger at sea promised money to the church if they made land, and the practice was widespread enough that donations from all over the country kept coming for centuries, making a church in an emptying district one of the better endowed in Iceland. Money is still sent. The present building dates from 1888 with later work, and a statue called Landsyn, land in sight, stands beside it representing the guiding figure of the founding story. The churchyard and the shore are the whole site.

History

The church was first built sometime in the 12th century, and the story tells that sailors caught in a storm off this dangerous coast vowed to build a church wherever they landed, and an angel appeared to guide them ashore. Strönd was once a rich farm with good grazing and fishing, Selvogur is first mentioned in the Sturlunga saga in the summer of 1238, and as erosion broke up the farms its population fell to little more than 110 at the turn of the 20th century and 14 in 2015 (Wikipedia, Strandarkirkja).

What you'll find

• A church alone on the shore - the district around it long emptied.
• Vows made at sea - donations from crews who reached land.
• Still receiving money - the tradition has not stopped.
• The Landsyn statue - the guiding figure of the founding story.

When to go

Year round; the coast is bleakest and best in winter light. An hour.

Things to know

The interior is usually locked outside services and arranged visits. Nothing else stands here - no cafe, no shop, no village. The shore is exposed and the wind constant. The road along Selvogur is quiet and partly gravel.

Nearby

Thorlakshofn is east; Hveragerdi and the Golden Circle are inland.

Key facts