Silfrastaðakirkja returns to its home in Skagafjörður

Silfrastaðakirkja was moved back to its location in Blönduhlíð, Skagafjörður, on Wednesday, mbl.is reports. The church had been in Sauðárkrókur since it was removed from its foundations in October 2021 for renovation.

The move went smoothly, said Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir, dean for the Húnavatn and Skagafjörður deaneries. The interior is not yet finished, and the tower and windows still need to be installed. The exterior also needs painting. Gunnarsdóttir hopes church services can begin there next year.

“It is so good to have it back home. It felt so empty without it in its place,” she told Morgunblaðið.

Built in 1896, the church stood at Silfrastaðir in Blönduhlíð until 2021. It had rested on a kind of stone pad on the ground, and its base had rotted badly while the floor had sunk.

The church is clad in smooth sheet metal and stands on a stone-laid concrete foundation. Arched, small-pane cast-iron windows are set into six sides of the building. Its narrow tower widens at the top, where an eight-sided roof supports an octagonal spire.

The altarpiece dates from 1853 and was made by Þorsteinn Guðmundsson. The church also has a silver chalice and paten of uncertain age, as well as two bells. The older bell dates from 1645.