Heimaey stave church

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Heimaey stave church is situated at Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.

The church was completed on 30 July 2000 and was a present from Norway to Iceland as a gift for the millennium anniversary of the first church built in Iceland by Olav Tryggvason in 1000.

The first church known on Iceland was a post church and not a stave church, and it was built in the north in the harbour by Hjalte and Gissur, two of Olav Tryggvason’s men. That church is long gone together with a number of other churches, some which are known to have been even larger than those found in Norway today.

Holtålen stave church from 1170 was used as the model for the church, this is now at Sverresborg museum in Trondheim.

The church was built in Lom in Norway, then shipped as cargo to Iceland and rebuilt.

The church has a reconstructed medieval painting. The original for this is presently at Nidarosdomen but is said to have been situated in just the church is one is modelled after.