The Church of Iceland (), officially the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (), is the national church of Iceland. The church is Christian and professes the Lutheran faith. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Porvoo Communion, the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe, and the World Council of Churches.
The church is organised as a single diocese headed by the Bishop of Iceland. Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir, appointed in 2012, held this post , the first woman to hold this position. The church has two suffragan sees, Skálholt and Hólar, whose bishops are suffragans or assistant bishops to the Bishop of Iceland; unusually, each has a cathedral church despite not being in a separate diocese.
History
Pre-Christian era and the adoption of Christianity
Christianity was present from the beginning of human habitation in Iceland. The first people setting foot on Icelandic soil were Chalcedonian Irish hermits (see Papar), seeking refuge on these remote shores to worship Christ. Later, Norse settlers are thought to have driven them out. Some of the settlers were Christians, although the majority were pagan, worshipping the old Norse gods. When the Alþingi was first convened in 930 CE, it was based upon Norse paganism. In the late 10th century, missionaries from the continent sought to spread Catholicism (pre-Great Schism) among the population.
Ari Þorgilsson, in his historical work Íslendingabók, recounts that the society was deeply divided between the adherents of the different religions that would not tolerate each other. At the Alþingi in Þingvellir, in the year 1000, the Icelandic Commonwealth was on the brink of civil war. The different leaders realized the danger and found a solution. They chose a person that everybody respected for his wisdom, the heathen priest and chieftain, Þorgeir of Ljósavatn, to decide which way the people should go. Þorgeir retired to his dwelling and lay there all day meditating with a cloak covering his face so that nobody would disturb him. The next day he called the assembly together and made his decision known. "If we put asunder the law, we will put asunder the peace," he said. "Let it be the foundation of our law that everyone in this land shall be Christian and believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit." His conversion decree included three pagan practices that would be tolerated and only practiced in private. These practices were pagan sacrifices, the exposure of infants, and the eating of horse flesh. The people agreed and many were subsequently baptized in the waters of Vígðalaug hot springs. Once Þorgeir was baptized he returned to his farm in Ljósavatn, gathered the images of his gods, and threw them into a waterfall to show his commitment to the new law.
Before Reformation
At the inauguration of Christianity in Iceland, missionary bishops and priests from Germany, England, and Eastern Europe worked among the population. The first Icelandic bishop, Ísleifur Gissurarson, was consecrated in Bremen in 1056, and he made Skálholt the episcopal see. Thereafter, Skálholt was the centre of Christian learning and spirituality in the country through the 18th century. In spite of all the upheavals of history there is a marked continuity within the church of Iceland. For the first five centuries, the Icelandic church was Roman Catholic. In the beginning of 1056, it was part of the province in Bremen. Later, the Icelandic church came under the archbishops of Lund and in 1153 it became a part of the province of Nidaros. Iceland was divided into two dioceses, Skálholt, established 1056, and Holar in 1106. These continued until 1801, when Iceland became one diocese under one bishop of Iceland, residing in Reykjavík.
The country was an independent republic from 930 until 1262. Then Iceland, having suffered civil war and anarchy, came under the rule of the Norwegian Realm and in 1380 with Norway under the Danish crown. In 1944 Iceland regained its independence as a republic.
Three Icelandic churchmen were revered as saints, even though none of them was actually canonized. The most famous of them is Saint Thorlak (Þorlákur Þórhallsson) of Skálholt (1133–1193). He was educated in Lincoln, England, and in Paris, France. Returning to Iceland, Þorlákur became an abbot of the Canon Regular monastery of Þykkvibær, soon gaining a reputation for his sanctity. As a bishop of Skálholt, he sought to enforce the decrees of Rome regarding the ownership of church property and morality of the clergy. The Icelandic calendar has two days dedicated to Þorlákur, 20 July and 23 December. The other two saintly bishops are Jón Ögmundsson (1106–1121) and Guðmundur Arason (1203–1237).