Vidimyrarkirkja Church (Víðimýrarkirkja) is one of Iceland’s few surviving traditional turf-covered churches. It is located in the village of Vidimyri (Víðimýri), near Varmahlíð in northern Iceland.
Architecture of Vidimyrarkirkja
The church was built in 1834 by Jón Samsonarson, a carpenter and member of the Althinga (Icelandic parliament). Its exterior sides and roof are covered with masonry, while the front and rear sides have wooden facades. The church’s wooden frame is covered on the inside with unpainted paneling.
Inside, an eye-catching design element is a decorative screen separating the choir from the front of the room. In front of the choir door on the north side is a private seating area with carved, painted columns and classical motifs as beautiful as the screen. Surrounding/adjacent to the church is an old cemetery with a beautiful view of the valley.
Víðimýrarkirkja – tips and practical information
- Although the church is overseen by the National Museum, it is still used as a Lutheran parish church.
- Vidimyrarkirkja is open to the public daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm from June 1 to August 31. It can also be open at other times by arrangement with the caretakers at the Víðimýri farm, Einar Örn Einarsson, tel. 849 5674 or 453 5095, and Sigríður Stefánsdóttir, tel. 899 2053.
- Near the town, you can also see the Reykjafoss waterfall and the open-air museum Glaumbaer Farm
- You can see a very similar (and also original) turf-covered church from the same area (from the coastal vicinity of the village of Skagafjörður located about 25 km north of Vidimyri) in Reykjavik, at the open-air museum Arbaer Open Air Museum
How to get to Vidimyrarkirkja
Víðimýrarkirkja is located in the north of Iceland, on Road 1 (you have to take the road about 300 m south, turning at the signpost), near the intersection with Road 75, about 100 km west of Akureyri and about 300 km northeast of Reykjavik.
It’s definitely worth a stop here if you’re driving on Route 1 around the island.
Photos of Vidimyrarkirkja Church
