Möðruvalla Church

Q: Hvar er Möðruvallakirkja?

Möðruvallakirkja er í Eyjafirði á Norðurlandi.

Q: Er Möðruvallakirkja í þéttbýli?

Nei, hún er staðsett utan þéttbýlis.

Q: Er Möðruvallakirkja hluti af þjóðkirkjunni?

Já, hún tilheyrir þjóðkirkjunni.

Q: Er Möðruvallakirkja opin almenningi við sérstök tilefni?

Já, hún er opin almenningi við helgihald og viðburði.

Churches of Iceland

RegionNorth Iceland

Built1848

Construction started1847

Architect / designerFlóvent Sigurðsson

Building materialTimber

Roof materialCorrugated iron

TowerNo

Protected statusProtected

Möðruvallakirkja

Möðruvallakirkja is located at Möðruvellir in Hörgárdalur, North Iceland. The church was built between 1865 and 1867 after an earlier church burned down in 1865, and at the time of its consecration it was the largest wooden church in Iceland.

The church is a large and impressive timber structure and houses many valuable interior objects that have been donated over the years. It has long been one of the most important landmarks of the valley and plays a central role in the religious and cultural history of the region.

Two churchyards surround the building, an older and a newer one. The older cemetery contains the graves of many notable Icelanders, including poets, officials, and scholars connected to Möðruvellir and the surrounding district.

The site is also the birthplace of Hannes Þórður Hafstein, poet and Iceland’s first Minister of State, born here in 1861. This further highlights the historical significance of the location.

The newer cemetery was opened in 1951 and lies south of the original one. Today, Möðruvallakirkja is a protected cultural monument and one of Iceland’s most notable rural churches.