Skálholt in winter

Skálholt Cathedral (Skálholtdómkirkja) in October 2007

Skálholt (Old Icelandic: Skálaholt) is an historical site situated in the south of Iceland at the river Hvítá. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( There is more than one river called Hvítá in Iceland. This is because many Icelandic rivers which originate from Glaciers have a light colour

History

Skálholt was through eight centuries one of the most important places in Iceland. From 1056 and until 1785, it was along with Hólar, one of Iceland's two episcopal sees, making it a cultural and political center. Year 1785 ( MDCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Hólar is a small community with a population of around 100 located in the Skagafjörður district of northern Iceland, some 379 km from Reykjavík An episcopal see is the ecclesiastical domain of authority of a Bishop. A center of learning from its first years, Icelands first official school, Skálholtsskóli, was founded at Skálholt in 1056 to educate clergy. This school still lives in the form of Reykjavík Gymnasium, MR. Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík or MR is the oldest gymnasium ( Icelandic: Menntaskóli) in Reykjavík, Iceland In 1992 the priest-school in Skálholt was also re-instituted under the old name and now serves as the education and information center of The Church of Iceland. The National Church of Iceland, or Þjóðkirkjan, formally called the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, is the State church in Iceland

Through the middle ages there was a lot of activity in Skálholt and along with the bishop's office, the cathedral and the school there was extensive farming, a smithy and a monastery (while Catholicism lasted). A forge is the workplace of a smith or a Blacksmith. A forge is sometimes referred to as a smithy. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described All this along with dormitories and quarters for teachers and servants made up a sizable gathering of houses. Adam of Bremen, writing around 1075, describes Skálholt (Scaldholz) as the "largest city" in Iceland. Adam of Bremen (also Adam Bremensis) was one of the most important German Medieval Chroniclers He lived and worked in the second half of the

Continuing as the episcopal see after the reformation to lutheranism the end of catholicism in Iceland was memorably sealed in Skálholt in the year 1550 when the last catholic bishop, Jón Arason of Hólar, was executed in Skálholt along with his two sons. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described Jón Arason ( 1484 - November 7, 1550) was an Icelandic Roman Catholic bishop and poet

Although no longer episcopal sees, Skálholt and Hólar are still the cathedra of the Church of Icelands' two suffragan bishops and therefore the old cathedrals still serve as such. A cathedra ( Latin, "chair" from Greek, kathedra, "seat" is the Chair or Throne of a Bishop A suffragan bishop is a Bishop subordinate to a Metropolitan bishop or Diocesan bishop. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral

Skálholt also welcomes visitors and receives many each year. Hospitality is a branch of Skálholtsskóli's work and visitors can stay both in its dormatories and in single rooms and cottages. Many cultural events such and concerts are also held in Skálholt. Foremost of these is the Summer Concerts program in July in which prominent classical musicians, choirs and other musicians are invited to stay and perform in Skálholt. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers

Skálholt Cathedral

The current cathedral at Skálholt is relatively large in comparison to most Icelandic churches, its span from door to apse being some 30 meters. Interestingly some of its predecessors were even longer, reaching up to 50 m in length. The new cathedral was built in the years 1956 to 1963 as a part of the millennial-celebrations of the episcopal see. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The other Scandinavian churches celebrated this along with the Icelandic and many of the new cathedrals' items are gifts of theirs. Lutheranism is present throughout various Regions of the world Gerður Helgadóttir's extensive stained glass windows of the church are for example a gift from the Danes. For the Blackford Oakes novel see Stained Glass (novel The term stained glass refers either to the material of coloured Glass or to the art The term Dane may refer to People with a Danish ancestral or ethnic identity whether living in Denmark, emigrants or the descendants of emigrants

The Skálholt Map

In the late 16th century a young teacher from Skálholt, Sigurd Stefánsson, attempted to use the available documentary evidence to mark the sites of the ancient Norse discoveries in the western Atlantic, including Vinland, on a map. ^[1] His 1570 original no longer survives, but numerous copies were made by Scandinavian scholars, and by matching latitudes with the British Isles, the information was transferred to more modern maps. This indicated, among other things, that the promontory of Vinland was marked by Stefánsson at the position of the northern promontory of Newfoundland, which was one of the factors that encouraged the successful archaeological investigations at L'Anse Aux Meadows. Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norseman Leifr Eiríksson, about the year A Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of L'Anse aux Meadows (from the French L'Anse-aux-Méduses or "Jellyfish Cove" is an Archaeological site on the northernmost tip of the island ^[2]

See also

• List of Skálholt bishops
• List of settlements in Iceland
• History of Iceland

References

• Adam of Bremen (edited by G. Adam of Bremen (also Adam Bremensis) was one of the most important German Medieval Chroniclers He lived and worked in the second half of the Waitz) (1876). Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum. Berlin. Available online
• Adam of Bremen (translated by Francis Joseph Tschan and Timothy Reuter) (2002). History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231125755

External links

• Skálholt.is
• Info on Skálholt from Southern Iceland's tourist bureau
• Skalholt Map