Magnus Cathedral (, ) is a ruined

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

in the village of

Kirkjubøur Kirkjubøur () is the southernmost village on Streymoy, Faroe Islands. The village is located on the south-west coast of Streymoy and has a view towards the islands of Hestur and Koltur towards the west, and to Sandoy towards the south. It lies ...

on the island of

Streymoy Streymoy (, ) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means "island of currents". It also refers to the largest region of the country that also includes the ...

in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

. The ruins are the largest medieval building in the Faroe Islands.

History

Bishop Erlendur (1269–1308) started construction in about the year 1300. Earlier it was believed that the structure was never completed, however recent research suggests otherwise. The finding of an arch roof base and of old plastering on the walls indicate that the structure was actually roofed and in use at some point. Also the size of the famous pew ends from the nearby Saint Olav's Church indicates that they were originally made for and placed inside the roofed cathedral. However it did not have a long lifetime, because after the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in 1537, the Diocese of the Faroe Islands was abolished and supposedly the cathedral was left to decay. The only known relic of Saint Thorlak, the patron saint of Iceland, is a bone fragment contained with other saints' relics in a lead box in the sanctuary's end wall ("The Golden Locker").

Conservation work

Conservation work on the Cathedral started in 1997, as it became clear that the ruin was deteriorating at a rapid pace, with more and more mortar falling away due to the elements, mostly from rain, but also salty sea air and sea water. During 2002-2004, a wooden shed was erected around most of the ruin, giving it enough shelter to dry out, before work could begin on preservation. The shed drew considerable criticism because of its looks. During the research into how to preserve the ruin, a conclusion was reached. No outward reconstruction would be made, and instead ongoing preservation work would be implemented, where the mortar would be reinforced from time to time. In addition, all horizontal surfaces, where water could seep in, would be "soft capped" with mortar and clay before being topped with sod and grass. This work began in 2010. Today considerable headway has been made. Large sections of the shedding have been removed and work is expected to be finished in the not too distant future. While it is hoped that Magnus Cathedral will be accepted as a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, the prospect is not very certain.

Gallery

Pictures of the ruins of Magnus Cathedral were featured on a series of Faroese stamps in 1988: Image:Faroe stamp 169 cathedral ruins in kirkjubour.jpg, FR 169: The Cathedral. Note the detail of ewe and lamb in the foreground Image:Faroe stamp 170 cathedral ruins in kirkjubour.jpg, FR 170: Detail of a gothic arch Image:Faroe stamp 171 cathedral ruins in kirkjubour.jpg, FR 171: The

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

on an indoor wall Image:Faroe stamp 172 cathedral ruins in kirkjubour.jpg, FR 172: Inside the ruins

History

Conservation work

Gallery

References

Related reading