Places near me Random place
All Iceland Vik Vík í Myrdal Church
AO Edited

Vík í Myrdal Church

A tiny village church in dramatic surroundings.

Vik, Iceland

jyackabonis profile photo
Added By
jyackabonis
  Andrew Main Oster
Sunset   Mathias Sogorski
Vik church   EDurban / Atlas Obscura User
  jyackabonis / Atlas Obscura User
  Sai Chintala
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Until 1928 the people of Vik, Iceland had to travel to travel 2.5 kilometers by foot or horse to the next parish.

That April, the people of Vik started their new parish and started raising funds to build this icon of southern Iceland. The master builder of the church was Matthias Einarsson, and in 1943 it was consecrated on October 14th.

This church is one of the defining monuments in the Icelandic landscape. As it sits on a hill in the middle of town. It is still an active church with services to the people and visitors of Vik.

The village has doubled in size in the the past few years to 600, so if you would like a seat, get there early.

 

 

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Know Before You Go

The church is free to park at and visit. There are hiking trails all around it.

Community Contributors

jyackabonis profile photo

Added By

jyackabonis

sglesne profile photo EDurban profile photo Gualdoni profile photo

Edited By

sglesne, EDurban, Gualdoni

Published

July 31, 2025

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos

Related Tags

Churches

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vik

Vik

Iceland

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

Related Places

  • Rose Window, St. John's Episcopal Church

    Franklin, Pennsylvania

    St. John's Episcopal Church

    St. John's Episcopal Church is one of seven remaining churches with a complete collection of Tiffany Windows.

  • Chapel of Expiation

    Paris, France

    Chapel of Expiation

    This funerary monument to the guillotined king and queen of France became a political lightning rod and a site of pilgrimage for French monarchists.

  • Interior (facing organ)

    Brooklyn, New York

    St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church

    Topped by a distinctive beehive dome, it’s been called by architectural historians and locals, “Brooklyn's Sacré-Cœur.”

  • St. Mary's Church

    London, England

    Benedict Arnold's Grave at St. Mary’s Battersea

    A beautiful Georgian church alongside the Thames has a crypt in the basement, in which are buried the bodies of the infamous American traitor Benedict Arnold, his wife Peggy, and their daughter Sophia.

  • Tomb of Mem de Sá

    Salvador, Brazil

    Tomb of Mem de Sá

    The Catedral Basílica de Salvador is special for its stunning Baroque interior and the historic sepulchre of Mem de Sá, connecting the church to Salvador’s colonial past.

  • Üç Haclı Kilise

    Çavuşin, Turkey

    Üç Haclı Kilise

    A 1600-year-old church carved into the rock, with painted frescoes from 900.

  • The Guthrie Center

    Great Barrington, Massachusetts

    The Guthrie Center

    The ex-church that inspired “Alice’s Restaurant” is now a vibrant community center and folk music venue.

  • Holy Trinity Oak Tree Chapel

    Čibukovac, Serbia

    Holy Trinity Oak Tree Chapel

    Three people can fit inside this little Serbian Orthodox church carved inside a 500-year-old oak tree.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member