Strandarkirkja () is a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
(
Church of Iceland
The Church of Iceland (), officially the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (), is the State religion, national church of Iceland. The church is Christian and professes the Lutheranism, Lutheran faith. It is a member of the Lutheran World ...
) parish church in
Selvogur
Strandarkirkja () is a Lutheranism, Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Selvogur , on the southern coast of Iceland. The church is a landmark for travellers at sea. It has more supporters all over the world than any other church in Icela ...
, on the southern coast of
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
. The church is a landmark for travellers at sea. It has more supporters all over the world than any other church in Iceland and is often referred to as the 'miracle church' with the locals' longstanding belief that it has profound, divine powers.
History

The Church was originally built sometime in the 12th century. The story relates that there is one night when a group of sailors tried to navigate back to Iceland in a storm. The southern coast of Iceland is notorious for its hidden reefs and rough coast. The distressed sailors prayed to God for a safe return and vowed to build a church wherever they landed. When they ended their prayer an angel, seemingly made of light, appeared before their bow. The angel guided them through the rough surfs and led the crew into a bay for safe landing. The sailors, making good on the promise, built a wooden church at the site and named it Strandarkirkja. The bay nearby is named Angel's Bay (Engilsvík in
Icelandic) to commemorate the incident. Many miracles have been attributed to Strandarkirkja and there was a time when it was one of the richest churches in Iceland from the donations of Icelanders coming from all over the country in hopes of having their prayers and wishes realized.
The Estate of Strönd
In earlier times Strönd (Coast in Icelandic) was a rich farm, where both sea and land gave generously. The pastures were rich, consisting of good land facing south for grazing sheep and sheltered from the cold northern wind by the mountain Hlíðarfjall 5–6 km north of Selvogur. The good fishing grounds were also not far away so the farmers in Selvogur reaped from both the land and the sea. In addition to this there were mentions of farmers collecting timber from woods nearby and having the right to collect eggs and kill birds in the sea-cliffs at Krísuvíkurberg.
Selvogur

Strandarkirkja served as the parish church of the community of
Selvogur
Strandarkirkja () is a Lutheranism, Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Selvogur , on the southern coast of Iceland. The church is a landmark for travellers at sea. It has more supporters all over the world than any other church in Icela ...
(Seal Cove in Icelandic). In the early days of Icelandic settlement the area had numerous substantial farms. The town is first mentioned in ''
Sturlunga Saga
''Sturlunga saga'' (often called simply ''Sturlunga'') is a collection of Icelandic Norse saga, sagas by various authors from the 12th and 13th centuries; it was assembled in about 1300, in Old Norse. It mostly deals with the story of the Sturlun ...
'', where
Gissur Þorvaldsson
Gissur Þorvaldsson (; Old Norse: ; 1208 – 12 January 1268) was a medieval Icelandic chieftain or '' goði'' of the Haukdælir family clan, and great-grandson of Jón Loftsson.
Gissur played a major role in the period of civil war which is ...
allows Dufgusi Þorleifsson take up residence there in the summer of 1238.
["Sturlunga saga", in: ]Rudolf Simek
Rudolf Simek (born 21 February 1954) is an Austrian philologist and religious studies scholar who is Professor and Chair of Ancient German and Nordic Studies at the University of Bonn. Simek specializes in Germanic studies, and is the author ...
and Hermann Pálsson
Hermann Pálsson (26 May 1921 – 11 August 2002) was an Icelandic language scholar and translator, "one of the most distinguished scholars of Icelandic studies of his generation". Often working in collaboration with others such as Magnus Magnus ...
, ''Lexikon der altnordischen Literatur'', Kröners Taschenausgabe 490, Stuttgart: Kröner, 1987, , pp. 339–41
Over the years, the town began to decline as wind and water
erosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...
began to cause a
collapse of the farming culture. The population has dwindled substantially as people started to move into cities, dropping to little more than 110 at the turn of the 20th Century and to 14 people in 2015. Selvogur remained one of the most isolated settlements in the region, with electricity not being available in the area until 1970. Around the church, many abandoned farmhouses and other ruins can be seen as a reminder and insight into the life of the settlement in the past. Selvogur now has only a couple of isolated farms and a popular free
campground
Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English.
In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...
, as well as a café T-Bær for the
travelers
Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler, or The Traveller may refer to:
People
*Anyone engaged in travel
Groups
* Romani people, or Roma, or Gypsies, and their subgroups in various countries
* Indigenous Norwegian Travellers
* Irish Travellers
...
passing through.
Present day

Strandarkirkja still functions as a parish church, although only on occasion. There is no longer a regular service for the small populace of Selvogur. The church is open in summer, from mid-May to August, hosting biweekly services, and is also open on weekends in spring and autumn. In addition, masses are also held by the parish priest on
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
,
Easter
Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
, and
Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...
. A harvest sermon (''Uppskerumessa'' ) is held at the end of August by ancient tradition to celebrate the end of the harvest season. There is also a fisherman's mass (''Veiðimannamessa'' ) in October that is open to all, but primarily caters to the hunters with their hunting cabin at the nearby
Hlíðarvatn, a lake owned by the church.
A statue of Norwegian granite carved by the Icelandic sculptor
Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir (1889–1968) in 1950 called Landsýn , or 'Land in Sight', now stands by Strandarkirkja to commemorate the story of the church's founding. Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir herself is buried in the Strandarkirkja cemetery.
Kirkjukort, Strandarkirkja, retrieved 4 Feb 2020 (in Icelandic).
Gallery
File:Strandarkirkja.jpg, Strandarkirkja - exterior view
File:Strandakirkja - interior view.jpg, Strandarkirkja - interior view
File:Strandakirkja01.jpg, Strandarkirkja - exterior grounds with view of some graves
File:Strandarkirkja02.jpg, Strandarkirkja - side view from the north towards the ocean
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Churches in Iceland