Hofskirkja

About the place

Hofskirkja, meaning ‘Hof church’ in Icelandic, is the last grass-roofed church built in Iceland. Built in 1884 and fully restored in the 1950s, Hofskirkja stands out from the other grass-roofed churches in the country by still being a practising parish.

The church has a wooden structure surrounded by solid stone walls. It is topped with stone slabs covered with a layer of greenery to keep the heat in. Partly buried in the ground, the earth acts as a natural insulator.

Although the church is not open to tourists, the adjoining cemetery is, offering the opportunity to stroll around and admire this unique building.