Iceland Walking Tour - Skálholt [4K]

The Skálholt crypt and cathedral was open for all visitors during Easter of 2021. Skálholt is one of the most historic places in Iceland. It was an episcopal see, a school, a seat of learning and administration for more than 700 years and a place of pilgrimage in medieval times. In this tour we journey from Laugarás village all the way to Skálholt, ending inside the crypt and the cathedral.
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Information about the tour:
00:40 - Hvítárbrú bridge leads to Laugarás village, also known as the village in the woods.
01:54 - Swans on the river Hvítá (White River).
04:11 - The sign reads: The Hvítá River was quite an obstacle in a relatively busy district, until the bridge was opened in 1957. For centuries a ferry took people and commodities across the glacial river. It was the duty of the farmers at Iða (south of the river) to operate the ferry. The river could be hard to cross, especially during the winter. The ferry site was where the bridge stands now. The ferry itself, was a small rowing boat and it took a skilled ferryman to get the boat safely across the fast flowing river. The Hvítá Bridge is a suspension bridge, 109m long and 4,1m wide. The towers reach 16,8m. It dramatically improved transport between the south and north of the river. The bridge was formally opened when its 60th anniversary was celebrated, in December 2017.
04:34 - The modern history of Laugarás started in 1922 when the district
physician settled here. Since then Laugarás has benn the centre for health and medical services in the interior south of Iceland.
17:20 - Skálholt cathedral is now visible.
24:51 - I think it might have been an owl but I'm not sure.
29:00 - The present Cathedral was consecrated in 1963 and is the 10th church standing on exactly the same site. It is decorated with valuable art, both old and new.
29:32 - The Skálholt School was started as a folk college in 1972 and is presently run as a Center for culture, education and pilgrimage and as a retreat.
30:05 - Þorláksbúð. It is a reconstructed building. It's original function
is not known.
32:17 - A view over a archaeological excavation site.
32:43 - Between 1954-1958, archaeological research was conducted on the
site where the church now stands. The foundations of older churches and
several graves were excavated. Between 2002-2007, further archaelogical
excavations at Skálholt were made, this time on the core of the settlement,
which was occupied when Skálholt was a centre of Christianity and
ecclesiastical power in Iceland and was one of the most densely
populated places in the country. Two contemporary maps exist of the settlement, both from the 18th century, late in the period of the Bishop's seat and school. It is extremely rare to have such old maps of places in Iceland. On these maps, one can see various details of the use of the houses.
33:15 - Entering the tunnel to the Skálholt crypt. The tunnel was dug up in 1958 but it was originally constructed in the 17th century.
33:39 - Entrance door to the crypt. In the crypt there is a small exhibition from the National Museum with items excavated in Skálholt. Probably the most noteworthy is the sarcophagus of bishop Páll Jónsson (bishop 1195-1211), unearthed in 1954.
35:41 - Inside Skálholt cathedral.

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