Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Kirkjubæjarklaustur is the only place between Vík and Höfn which offers services, which includes a fuel station, a bank, a post office and a supermarket. Nearby tourist attractions include the Laki craters, the Eldgjá and Skaftafell, all in Vatnajökull National Park. An attraction close to the village is Kirkjugólf {{IPA|is|ˈcʰɪr̥cʏˌkoulf|}} ("Church floor"), a natural pavement of basalt. These are basalt columns in the earth, the visible tops of which have the appearance of a paved church floor. This lava formation has similar origins to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland.{{Cite web |last=Goji |first=Cold & |title=Kirkjubaejarklaustur I Iceland |url=https://fiftydegreesnorth.com/us/destinations/kirkjubaejarklaustur |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=50 Degrees North}}

Even before the time of the first Norse settlement in Iceland, Irish monks are thought to have lived here. Since 1186, a well known convent of Benedictine nuns, Kirkjubæjar Abbey, was located in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, until the Reformation in 1550. The names of the waterfall Systrafoss ("waterfall of the sisters") and of the lake Systravatn {{IPA|is|ˈsɪstraˌvahtn̥|}} ("water of the sisters") on the highland above the village refer to this abbey. Folk tales illustrate the history with stories about good and sinful nuns.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} The Systrastapi {{IPA|is|ˈsɪstraˌstaːpɪ|}} (sister's rock) is where two of the convent's nuns were buried after being burned at the stake. One of the nuns was accused of selling her soul to the Devil, carrying Communion bread outside the church, and having carnal knowledge with men; the other was charged with speaking blasphemously of the Pope. After the Reformation, the second sister was vindicated, and flowers are said to bloom on her grave, but not that of the first nun. Systravatn also has a legend relating to the convent. According to the English text on the Katla Geopark sign next to the lake, the nuns frequently bathed in the lake, and one day two nuns saw a hand holding a gold comb reach out from the water. When they tried to seize the comb, they were dragged below the water and drowned.

The village became well known in Iceland during the Lakagígar volcano eruptions in 1783. The pastor of the local church and dean of Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla, {{Interlanguage link multi|Jón Steingrímsson|is}} (1728 – 1791), delivered what became known as the "Fire Sermon" (eldmessu {{IPA|is|ˈɛltˌmɛsːʏ|}}) on July 20, 1783. The legend says that this sermon stopped the lava flow, and the village was spared at the last moment. The current church, constructed in 1974, was built in memory of Rev. Jón.[http://nat.is/Churches/chapel_of_klaustur.htm Kirkjubæjarklaustur Chapel (More About Iceland)]

Today, the village is an important service center for the farms in the region as well as for tourists and weekend visitors. {{citation needed|date=November 2014}} Many people from Reykjavík, the country's capital, have weekend huts by a nearby lake.

Some filming for Christopher Nolan's 2014 movie Interstellar took place in and around Klaustur. The filmmaker, actors and crew reportedly filled up all of the hotel rooms in Klaustur when shooting was happening.{{Cite web |date=2013-12-04 |title=Interstellar shots finished in Iceland |url=http://www.newsoficeland.com/home/entertainment-leisure/motion-picture/item/2292-interstellar-shots-finished-in-iceland |access-date=2025-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204073444/http://www.newsoficeland.com/home/entertainment-leisure/motion-picture/item/2292-interstellar-shots-finished-in-iceland |archive-date=4 December 2013 }}

Kirkjubæjarklaustur has a subarctic climate according to the koppen-geiger classification with warm, short summers and long, mild winters.

In January Kirkjubæjarklaustur's average temperature is approximately {{Convert|0.1|C|F}}. In July the average temperature is {{Convert|11.6|C|F}}. The highest temperature ever recorded was {{Convert|30.2|C|F}} on June 22, 1939, whilst the lowest temperature ever recorded was {{Convert|-19.1|C|F}} on February 6, 1969.

{{Weather box

|location = Kirkjubæjarklaustur, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1935–2013

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = 10.7

|Feb record high C = 13.5

|Mar record high C = 14.0

|Apr record high C = 17.9

|May record high C = 21.5

|Jun record high C = 30.2

|Jul record high C = 29.2

|Aug record high C = 24.4

|Sep record high C = 20.1

|Oct record high C = 15.6

|Nov record high C = 12.5

|Dec record high C = 10.0

|year record high C = 30.2

|Jan high C = 2.4

|Feb high C = 2.6

|Mar high C = 3.7

|Apr high C = 6.7

|May high C = 10.6

|Jun high C = 13.6

|Jul high C = 15.4

|Aug high C = 14.7

|Sep high C = 11.3

|Oct high C = 7.2

|Nov high C = 4.1

|Dec high C = 2.7

|year high C = 7.9

|Jan mean C = 0.1

|Feb mean C = 0.0

|Mar mean C = 0.8

|Apr mean C = 3.3

|May mean C = 6.9

|Jun mean C = 9.8

|Jul mean C = 11.6

|Aug mean C = 11.0

|Sep mean C = 8.1

|Oct mean C = 4.6

|Nov mean C = 1.8

|Dec mean C = 0.3

|year mean C = 4.9

|Jan low C = -2.5

|Feb low C = -2.5

|Mar low C = -1.8

|Apr low C = 0.6

|May low C = 3.8

|Jun low C = 6.9

|Jul low C = 8.7

|Aug low C = 8.3

|Sep low C = 5.6

|Oct low C = 2.3

|Nov low C = -0.6

|Dec low C = -2.2

|year low C = 2.2

|Jan record low C = -15.8

|Feb record low C = -19.1

|Mar record low C = -15.3

|Apr record low C = -18.2

|May record low C = -6.6

|Jun record low C = -1.0

|Jul record low C = 2.9

|Aug record low C = 0.0

|Sep record low C = -3.8

|Oct record low C = -9.8

|Nov record low C = -13.2

|Dec record low C = -18.5

|year record low C = -19.1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 156.6

|Feb precipitation mm = 140.9

|Mar precipitation mm = 132.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 120.9

|May precipitation mm = 104.3

|Jun precipitation mm = 113.4

|Jul precipitation mm = 123.2

|Aug precipitation mm = 165.8

|Sep precipitation mm = 157.7

|Oct precipitation mm = 162.6

|Nov precipitation mm = 144.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 176.8

|year precipitation mm = 1699.7

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 16.8

|Feb precipitation days = 15.6

|Mar precipitation days = 15.4

|Apr precipitation days = 14.1

|May precipitation days = 13.7

|Jun precipitation days = 14.0

|Jul precipitation days = 13.8

|Aug precipitation days = 15.7

|Sep precipitation days = 15.8

|Oct precipitation days = 15.9

|Nov precipitation days = 14.8

|Dec precipitation days = 16.7

|year precipitation days = 182.0

|unit snow days = 0 cm

|Jan snow days = 15.8

|Feb snow days = 16.1

|Mar snow days = 13.7

|Apr snow days = 4.6

|May snow days = 0.8

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.2

|Oct snow days = 1.6

|Nov snow days = 8.5

|Dec snow days = 14.3

|year snow days = 75.6

|humidity colour = green

|Jan humidity = 77.5

|Feb humidity = 78.5

|Mar humidity = 76.6

|Apr humidity = 76.9

|May humidity = 76.2

|Jun humidity = 79.0

|Jul humidity = 79.1

|Aug humidity = 81.2

|Sep humidity = 78.9

|Oct humidity = 79.1

|Nov humidity = 76.7

|Dec humidity = 77.1

|year humidity = 78.1

|Jan dew point C = -3.4

|Feb dew point C = -3.4

|Mar dew point C = -3.0

|Apr dew point C = -0.8

|May dew point C = 2.8

|Jun dew point C = 6.4

|Jul dew point C = 8.4

|Aug dew point C = 8.2

|Sep dew point C = 5.0

|Oct dew point C = 1.0

|Nov dew point C = -1.8

|Dec dew point C = -3.0

|year dew point C = 1.4

|source 1 = NOAA (humidity 1961-1990){{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Iceland/WMO_Normals_ICELAND_1981_2010.xls

|title = Kirkjubæjarklaustur Climate Normals 1981-2010

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = December 29, 2023

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231229071233/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Iceland/WMO_Normals_ICELAND_1981_2010.xls

|archive-date = 2023-12-29}}{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/IL/04064.TXT

|title = Kirkjubæjarklaustur Climate Normals 1961-1990

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = January 5, 2024

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240105015341/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/IL/04064.TXT

|archive-date = 2024-01-05}}

|source 2 = Iceland Met Office (extremes){{Cite web

|url = https://www.vedur.is/Medaltalstoflur-txt/Stod_772_Kirkjubajarklaustur.ManMedal.txt

|title = Mánaðarmeðaltöl fyrir stöð 772 - Kirkjubæjarklaustur

|publisher = Icelandic Meteorological Office

|access-date = 24 December 2023

|language = is

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231224082325/https://www.vedur.is/Medaltalstoflur-txt/Stod_772_Kirkjubajarklaustur.ManMedal.txt

|archive-date = 2023-12-24}}}}

• List of settlements in Iceland
• History of Iceland
• Kirkby, a place name in England with a parallel etymology and meaning

{{reflist}}

• The Rough Guide to Iceland. Rough Guides, 2001. {{ISBN|1-85828-597-6}}

{{Commons category|Kirkjubæjarklaustur}}

• {{wikivoyage-inline|Kirkjubæjarklaustur}}
• [http://www.klaustur.is/ Official site (Icelandic)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060702061149/http://www.exploreiceland.is/destinations/south_iceland/kirkjubaejarklaustur/ ExploreIceland.is]

{{coord|63|47|N|18|04|W|region:IS_type:city|display=title}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkjubejarklaustur}}

Category:Populated places in Southern Region (Iceland)

Category:History of Christianity in Iceland