07/21/2026
Grafarkirkja, Iceland’s oldest Christian church, a beautifully preserved turf-and-timber church located in the Skagafjörður region of North Iceland. The earliest records of a church at this exact location go all the way back to roughly 1240. In 1765, the Danish monarch (who ruled Iceland at the time) ordered many smaller churches in Iceland to be shuttered to consolidate parishes. Grafarkirkja was deconsecrated, and the surrounding farmland was privately leased. For over 150 years, the chapel sat neglected and was utilized by local farmers as a storage unit for equipment. In 1939, the site was acquired by the National Museum of Iceland. In 1953, historians and carpenters completely rebuilt the church in its original likeness, and it was reconsecrated by the Bishop of Iceland.
