Skriðuklaustur Monastery - 1550

The Skriðuklaustur cloister was the last one to be founded during Iceland’s Catholic period, i.e. shortly before the country’s 16th-century Reformation. It was thus active for less than six decades, and could scarcely be said to have flourished for more than about four decades. The deed of gift is still preserved whereby the couple Sesselja Þorsteinsdóttir and the local sheriff Hallsteinn Þorsteinsson, who lived on the other side of this valley at Víðivellir ytri, donated Skriða farm as the site for a cloister. Although this deed was signed on 8 June 1500, it is considered certain that the cloister was founded sooner, probably in 1493 when Stefán Jónsson, bishop at Skálholt, came on his first visitation to this valley. A legend tells of a 15th-century miracle here in the valley of Fljótsdalur. As was often the case, the Valþjófsstaðir priest rode his horse along the valley in order to attend to a dying parishioner. When he arrived, he discovered that he had lost everything he needed for the last sacrament, Extreme Unction, so a farm boy was sent looking. Following the well-worn trail, he was passing below the farmhouses at Skriða when he noticed the wine chalice standing full of wine on a grassy hummock, with the paten over it holding the bread. This was considered to be a miracle which, according to the legend, was commemorated by building a chapel here, with its altar located where the hummock had been. Somewhat later, the cloister was founded here.

Sarah Kennedy, Iain Oliver, Catherine Anne Cassidy, Bess Rhodes, Alan Miller

Skuli Gunnarsson (Skriðuklaustur)

The remains of the monastery at Skriðuklaustur were found during archaeological excavations led by Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir between 2000 and 2012. The digs revealed both the foundations of the monastic buildings, and a wealth of wider information about life at Skriðuklaustur (including almost 300 burials). The majority of the buildings seem to have been constructed during the 1490s, although the church itself appears to have been completed around 1512. Excavations revealed that the walls were a combination of rocks, soil, and turf, which were then lined with wood. It is thought that wood was also used to support the roofs (which were probably covered in turf), although none of the roof supports have been found. In total over 13,000 artefacts and bones were excavated at Skriðuklaustur. Remarkably several fragments of sculpture were discovered, including most of a statue of St Barbara. A number of documents also survive from the monastery, providing invaluable details on the chronology of the site and the names of people connected to the religious community.

A digital landscape was created using survey data and height map. Models were created in 3D modelling programs and imported into UNREAL (a cross-platform game engine for creating virtual worlds). The models were then scaled, orientated and assembled. The landscapes were populated with flora and fauna. Where applicable, models of characters and animals were imported and animated.