Hólar (; also Hólar í Hjaltadal ) is a small community in the

Skagafjörður Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland. Location Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi Peninsula to the west. There are t ...

district of northern

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

Location

Hólar is in the Hjaltadalur valley, some from the national capital of

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

. It has a population of around 100. It is the site of the main campus of

Hólar University College Hólar University is located in Hólar, Iceland, an important historical centre of education. The university, which was the first post-secondary school in Hólar, was founded in 1106. It was renamed Hólar Agricultural College in 1882 and became ...

, a site of historical buildings and archeological excavation, home to the Center for the history of the Icelandic horse, Hólar Cathedral, and the turf house Nýibær. The first

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...

in Iceland was introduced to Hólar in 1530. Hólar Agricultural College was founded 1882, and was renamed Holar University College in 2003. Guðmundur Arason

History

Near the end of the 10th century, King

Olaf I of Norway Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken (Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King of N ...

convinced his subjects to accept Christianity, then sent Christian missionaries to Iceland, where they were quickly accepted; around 1000 Icelanders made a peaceful decision that all should convert. Despite this, the '' godar'', Iceland's ruling class, maintained their power. Some built their own churches; others were ordained. Holar was the

Episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

for northern Iceland (whereas

Skálholt Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; non, Skálaholt ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá. History Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established in Sk� ...

served the same function for southern Iceland), and a cultural and educational centre for almost seven centuries (1106-1798). It was founded as a diocese in 1106 by bishop

Jón Ögmundsson Jón Ögmundsson or Ogmundarson ( la, Ioannes Ögmundi filius; 1052–23 April 1121), also known as John of Holar and Jon Helgi Ogmundarson, was an Icelandic bishop and local Icelandic saint. In 1106, the second Icelandic diocese, Hólar, was cre ...

and soon became one of Iceland's two main centers of learning. It played an important part in the medieval politics of Iceland, and was the seat of

Guðmundur Arason Guðmundur Arason (1161 – March 16, 1237; Modern Icelandic: ; Old Norse: ) was an influential 12th and 13th century Icelandic saintly bishop who took part in increasing the powers of the Catholic Church in medieval Iceland. His story is ...

in his struggle with Icelandic chieftains during the time of the commonwealth. Under

Jón Arason Jón Arason (1484 – November 7, 1550) was an Icelandic Roman Catholic bishop and poet, who was executed in his struggle against the imposition of the Protestant Reformation in Iceland. Background Jón Arason was born in Gryta, educated at Mu ...

, Hólar was the last remaining stronghold of

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in Iceland during the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. The religious conflict was brutally resolved in 1550 when the last Catholic bishop, Jón Arason, was taken to the south of Iceland and beheaded, with his two sons, in Skálholt. The best known Lutheran bishop of Hólar was

Guðbrandur Þorláksson Guðbrandur Þorláksson or Gudbrand Thorlakssøn ( – 20 July 1627) was bishop of Hólar from 8 April 1571 until his death. He was the longest-serving bishop in Iceland and is known for printing the '' Guðbrandsbiblía'', first complete Ice ...

. The construction of the present church is believed to have been completed in 1763.

Photo gallery

File:Hólar3.jpg, Turf houses in Hólar File:Hólar1.jpg, Church in Hólar File:Hólar2.jpg,

File:Auðunarstofa - Hólar Bishop's Office.jpg, Replica of Bishop's office

Sources

*This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Hólar". Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holar Populated places in Northwestern Region (Iceland) Viking Age populated places Catholic titular sees in Europe

Location

History

See also

Photo gallery

Sources

References