Travelogue

BúðakirkjaOur final stop on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula was Búðakirkja (Black Church), known for its simplistic beauty, both the church and its remote surroundings.

The small hamlet of Búðir was once a prosperous fishing village and one of Snæfellsnes' most active trading posts until it was abandoned in the early 19th century. Today, all that remains of Búðir’s once thriving community is the black wooden church Búðakirkja, one of the most photographed churches in Iceland.

The original church in this location was a small turf chapel built in 1703 by a merchant named Bent Lárusson.

According to lore, when it came to deciding a location for the parish church, an old woman suggested making a man spin around in circles until he became dazed and then have him shoot three arrows into the air. Wherever the third arrow landed, that is where the church should be built. Makes sense.

BúðakirkjaThe original turf church was demolished in 1816 by orders of the Danish King. In 1848, the church was rebuilt by Steinunn Sveinsdóttir. Not sure what parishioners did in the long gap in between.

In 1984, the church was moved to its current location and some renovations were done to restore it to its original Danish design.

The church, which is now owned by the National Museum of Iceland, still has some artifacts dating back to the 1700s.