Víðimýri Church in Skagafjörður
Open daily except Mondays from 12 - 6 pm
At Víðimýri in the Age of the Sturlungs was the ancient manor of chieftain Kolbeinn Tumason. It is said that there has been a church at Víðimýri since Christianity was adopted in Iceland. Víðimýrarkirkja has always been a farmer‘s church, in the ownership of priests or farmers, and is now a parish church. Open daily except Mondays from 12 - 6 pm. Open from June 1st - August 31st.
The interior fittings of Víðimýri Church are an example of the fixed conventions of seating in Icelandic churches after the Reformation: men on the south of the aisle, women on the north. Gentlewomen had their own box pew. In the church there are various old objects, some older than the present church. The altarpiece, dated 1616, is probably Danish. It depicts the Last Supper, with an inscription: For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. (1. Cor. 11:26). The pulpit probably dates from the 17th century. The paintings on it, now much worn, depict Christ, with the Evangelists on either side. At the north of the chancel is a plaque in a mahogany frame in memory of Þorsteinn Jónsson (1754–1827) of Gilhagi and his wife Margrét Magnúsdóttir (1761–1828). The chandeliers, baptismal font, altar frontal and altarcloth are all of 20th-century date. Altar silver dates from the 19th and 20th centuries. The lychgate dates from 1936. The two bells were cast in 1630. Many old objects from Viðimýri Church are preserved in the National Museum of Iceland. The church has been in the keeping of the National Museum since 1936.