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Cemetery at Viðey Island  
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Startpage : Cemeteries : Cemetery at Viðey Island
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The cemetery on Viðey

From the 12th century there has been a church on Viðey, and in 1225 a monastery was established there from the convention of Saint Augustine.  The church - which is the second oldest in Iceland - was consecrated in 1774 by Árni Þórarinsson, who then was a pastor in Reykjavík and later became bishop of Hólar in North Iceland.

 

In 1988 the decision was made that KGRP would in future maintain the cemetery at Viðey.  At that time the garden was restored.

Orientation and extent of the cemetery

Viðey is the largest island in Kollafjörður, about 1,7 square km.  The cemetery is to the north-west of the church and is the resting place of many people of national importance, among them Ólafur Stephensen, stiftmaður (the highest representative of the Danish king in Iceland), and his son Magnús Stephensen, konferensráð (a public official given his honorary title by the king).

 

More recent personalities also rest here, such as Gunnar Gunnarsson, writer and poet, his wife Franciska Gunnarsson, and their son Gunnar Gunnarsson, a colourist.

Some gravestones of particular interest

Gravestones or memorial stones have existed from the beginning of civilisation.  They are diverse and document a remarkable cultural history far back in time.  The gravestones in Viðey Cemetery are numerous and their inscriptions are quite diverse.

 

It is appropriate to draw attention to ‘Rules on traffic and activities in the cemeteries in Reykjavík no. 810/2000' which offer details on what rules apply to gravestones and the tending of graves at KGRP.