Kirkjubøur
Located only half an hour from the capital is Kirkjubøur, the islands’ most significant historical site. In medieval times, this small village was the cultural and episcopal centre of the Faroe Islands. Today, it effectively consists of three main elements; firstly, the 900 year-old farmhouse/museum Roykstovan, secondly, the present Parish church, Ólavskirkja, built in 1111 and used as the main church in the Faroe Islands for centuries; and thirdly, the medieval Magnus Cathedral, built in the 1300s and the effective seat of power over several centuries.
The Faroe Islands' Medieval Capital, Where a Cathedral Was Never Finished, a Church from 1200 Still Holds Services, and One Family Has Farmed the Same Land for 17 Generations
Kirkjubøur was the religious and cultural capital of the Faroe Islands throughout the medieval period. As the episcopal seat of the Diocese of the Faroes, it was where bishops lived, laws were written, and the spiritual life of the islands was administered from the 11th century until the Reformation in 1538. At its medieval peak the village is said to have had around 50 buildings. A catastrophic storm in the 16th century washed most of them into the sea, creating the small offshore islet Kirkjubøhólmurin from the debris. The three structures that survived define the site today. The Magnus Cathedral was begun around 1300 by Bishop Erlendur, who also wrote the Seyðabrævið, the Sheep Letter of 1298, considered the oldest preserved document written in the Faroe Islands, in the farmhouse alongside. The cathedral was never roofed and never completed, for reasons still debated by historians. Its Gothic stone walls still stand to their full height and constitute the largest medieval building in the Faroe Islands.
Kirkjubøargarður, the King's Farm, stands immediately beside the cathedral ruins. The oldest section, Roykstovan or the Smoke Room, dates to at least the 11th century, making it one of the oldest wooden structures still standing anywhere in the world. The farm has been in the continuous occupation of the Patursson family since 1550 and is now in its 17th generation of the same family. The current King's Farmer is always the eldest son; the farm and the King's Land on which it stands belong to the Faroese government, and the Paturssons hold the tenancy in perpetuity. The farmhouse is open to visitors as a museum and members of the family are often present to share the history in person. Ólavskirkja, the small white stone church built around 1200, stands beside the cathedral ruins and is still in active use as a parish church, the oldest functioning church in the Faroe Islands.
Kirkjubøur is on the southwestern coast of Streymoy, about 7 kilometres from Tórshavn and accessible by car in around 15 minutes or by a two-hour coastal hike along a well-marked path from the capital. Tórshavn's free red city buses also serve the village. The site is free to enter and open year-round during daylight hours. The farmhouse museum has variable opening hours and a small admission charge; checking ahead is advised. Views from the village across the sound to the islands of Hestur and Koltur are among the finest coastal views on Streymoy. The village also serves as the access point for the Sandoyartunnilin sub-sea tunnel to Sandoy, making it a natural first stop on a Sandoy day trip.
