<- ->

Selardalur Church

Region: Westfjords
Coordinates: 65.771179° N 24.027519° W

This church belongs to the Bildudalur benefice in the Bardastrond deanery. During Catholic times, the churches were dedicated to the Holy Virgin and St. Peter. Selardalur was a church site and earlier on a parsonage in the westernmost valleys Ketildalir on the western side of bay Arnarfjordur. An annexed church was at Stori-Laugardalur on bay Talknafjordur. The benefice was discontinued and the parish united with the Otradalur parish (now Bildudalur) in 1907. Stori-Laugardalur was annexed to the church at Patreksfjordur.

The present wooden church was originally built in 1861. On its centenary it was pulled down and rebuilt. The church posesses many precious artifacts. The pulpit is ancient with paintings of Moses and the prophets. The altarpiece depicting the last supper, is Danish (1752). The chalice dates back to 1765. In front of the church is a bolder with three hewn cups. It is called “The miklmaid stone”, and believed to have served as a sacrificial altar in pagan times.

Sagas of Iceland The church site was first documented in the 13th century in connection with ownership disputes between the Catholic Church and the worldly authorities (the chieftains or the oligarchs), which were not solved until 1275.