Historic sites

The Skaftárhreppur district is the second largest region in Iceland but very thinly populated. The district derives its name from the Skaftá river, which rises beneath the Skaftárjökull glacier and flows down to the sea. The river is about 115 km in lenght. The cornerstone of the local economy is agriculture and animal husbandry, while tourism is a growing sector. Kirkjubæjarklaustur or just Klaustur is a centre of commerce, services and industry. The population of Skaftárhreppur is about 460. The district spans a great variety of landscape and vegetation, with a natural environment of striking contrasts. Skaftárhreppur enjoys a pleasant climate, with mild winters and warm, sunny summers.

The chapel at Kirkjubæjarklaustur was consecrated in 1974. It was built in the memory of reverend Jón Steingrímsson, fire cleric (1728-1791). He said the famous Eldmessa (Fire Mass) on July 20, 1783 in the church in Klaustur. Many believe that the Eldmessa stopped the stream of the lava that threatened habitation at the time. The place where the stream of lava stopped is now called Eldmessutangi and is to the west of Systrastapi, but the chapel is situated a little to the east of the old church site. The old cemetery in Kirkjubæjarklaustur was fenced in with a concrete wall. There are a few gravestones in the cemetery, among them one at the grave of reverend Jón Steingrímsson and his wife Þórunn.

Þykkvabæjarklaustur is a church site in Álftaver and was formerly the location of a monastery founded in 1186 which remained active until the Reformation. Eysteinn Ásgrímsson a monk at Þykkvabæjarklaustur in the 14th century composed the poem Lilja, one of Icelands most famous medieval devotional poems. A pillar of columnar basalt has been erected where the monastery is believed to have stood.

Kirkjubæjarklaustur was known in olden times as “Kirkjubær” (Church Farm) and was an important farming estate. Kirkjubæjarklaustur has developed into a village, the only centre of population in the district, with about 120 inhabitants and is also known as Klaustur.

Núpsstaður is the easternmost farm in Skaftárhreppur district and lies east of mount. Lómagnúpur about 35 km. from Kirkjubæjarklaustur on the road nr.1. At Núpsstaður there are remarkable old buildings that are believed to be typical for farms in Iceland in past centuries. The most noteworthy of these is the chapel, one of few remaining turf churches in the country.