Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Kirkjubæjarklaustur, universally shortened to Klaustur, is a small village of around 120 people in South Iceland, sitting on the Ring Road between Vík and Höfn. It is the only inhabited settlement on a 300-kilometre stretch of the Ring Road, making it the essential service stop for anyone driving this section of the south coast. The name translates as church farm cloister, a reference to the Benedictine convent of nuns that operated here from 1186 until the Reformation in 1550. Local place names including Systrafoss waterfall, Systravatn lake, and Systrastapi rock all take their names from the sisters of the convent and carry legends of religious transgression, execution, and vindication that remain among the more vivid pieces of south Iceland folklore. The village is surrounded by significant natural attractions including the Kirkjugólf basalt pavement, Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, and the gateway to the Laki craters.
The Only Village on 300 Kilometres of Ring Road, Built on the Site of a Medieval Convent Whose Nuns Were Burned at the Stake
Kirkjubæjarklaustur has been continuously inhabited since before the Norse settlement, with Irish Christian monks, the Papar, believed to have settled the area first. The Norse saga tradition records that pagans who attempted to enter Kirkjubær died at its threshold, reinforcing its identity as a sacred Christian site. A Benedictine convent was formally established here in 1186 and operated for 364 years until the Reformation of 1550. The folklore associated with the convent period is unusually vivid: two nuns were allegedly burned at the stake on Systrastapi rock for various transgressions including selling their souls to the devil, removing communion bread from church, and carnal knowledge with men. After the Reformation, one was posthumously vindicated and flowers bloomed on her grave; the other's remains barren. These stories are attached to named landmarks that remain visible in and around the village today. Jón Steingrímsson, the famous Fire Priest, delivered his sermon at the local church in 1783 that is said to have miraculously stopped a lava flow from the Skaftá Fires eruption at the village boundary.
The natural attractions immediately around Klaustur are varied and largely free. Kirkjugólf, a natural pavement of basalt column tops worn flat by glacial erosion, is a short walk from the Ring Road and is protected as a natural monument. Fjaðrárgljúfur, a 2-kilometre canyon up to 100 metres deep carved by glacial meltwater, is about 6 kilometres east of the village and is one of the most dramatic short walks in South Iceland. The Systrafoss waterfall drops beside the village itself and the sisters' lake, Systravatn, sits above it. The Skaftárstofa visitor centre in the village covers the geology and ecology of the surrounding region and serves as the gateway information point for the western section of Vatnajökull National Park. The Laki craters, one of the most significant volcanic systems in Icelandic history, are accessible from a road that turns off the Ring Road just west of Klaustur.
Kirkjubæjarklaustur is 257 kilometres from Reykjavík along the Ring Road, approximately three hours by car. It is 112 kilometres west of Höfn and 78 kilometres east of Vík. The village has a supermarket, a petrol station, two hotels, guesthouses, two campsites, and a restaurant. The petrol station is worth noting as the next reliable fuel east is in Höfn. The Skaftárstofa visitor centre is open in summer. Fjaðrárgljúfur requires a short drive on a gravel road and a car park fee applies. The Laki road is an F-road requiring a 4WD vehicle and is accessible only in summer.
