Iceland - Thingvellir church

DAY 1 - Thingvallakirkja – According to Ólafssaga Helga by Snorri Surluson a model church was built in 1016 at Þingvellir, few years after Iceland was converted to Christianity. The timber for the church is to have been given to Althingi by King Olaf of Norway so so that when Icelanders gathered at Þingvellir every year they could see how a church looked and be tought how to perform the service. The king also sent a big bell with the timber. This church was destroyed in a storm in 1118 and several times rebuilt. The present church was built in 1859. The three bells in the belfry include one from 1698 and one from 1944. The first bell given by King Olaf and the second bell given by the next Norwegian king, king Harald, were melted down to make a new bell in 1593. The churches restored old pulpits are from 1683. The pastor of the church is also the warden at Thingvellir national park.