Millennium of Christianity
in Iceland

1000th Anniversary of Christianity in Iceland Scott 1151 (2000) Last week, the Daily Email on January 26 reported on the visit of the Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to Denmark. He participated in the ceremonies commemorating the 1200th anniversary of the beginning of the Christian evangelization of that country by Saint Ansgar. Today we look at another country north of the Arctic Circle--Iceland. Over the years, Vatican City has issued many stamps that have looked at evangelism and the spread of Christianity, dating back to the efforts of Saint Paul. In 2000, Vatican City released a stamp celebrating the millennium of Christianity on the island nation of Iceland. The stamp shown at the top of this article was issued jointly with Iceland on February 4, 2000, and reflects upon an era when ecumenical work was carried out to spread Christianity throughout the known world. The stamp depicts a 15th-century altarpiece that was once located at the Cathedral of Holar but is now preserved at the Iceland National Museum in the capital city of Reykjavik. The piece shows three figures of importance in the history of Christianity in Iceland: Bishop Guomundar of Holar was an influential Icelandic bishop from the 12th and 13th centuries who helped increase the powers of the Catholic Church in medieval Iceland. Miracles have been attributed to intercession to this saintly bishop. Saint Porlakur of Skalholt , also known as Thorlak Thorhallsson, is the patron saint of Iceland. He was the bishop of Skálholt from 1178 until his death in 1193. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1984, and his feast day falls on December 23, when Thorlak’s Mass is celebrated in Iceland. Saint Jon of Holar, also known as Jon Ogmundsson, was an Icelandic bishop who, in 1106, became the first bishop for the second Icelandic diocese of Holar. A religious purist, Jon attempted to uproot the remnants of paganism in Iceland, efforts which were only partially successful. Bishop Jón Ögmundsson of Hólar 19th century Icelandic manuscript. Icelandic National Library From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain Christianity first arrived in Iceland in the mid-800s with the arrival of Irish migrants. Iceland was also settled by explorers from Scandinavia (primarily from Norway) over the next 150 years. In the year 1000 AD, Christianity became the state religion by the ruling of the Althing, or Icelandic Parliament, due to the influence of Olaf Tryggvason, the king of Norway. Starting in the 1530s, Iceland shifted towards Lutheranism with the Icelandic Reformation, and the Lutheran Church of Iceland has remained the country's state church since that time. However, freedom of religion was formally granted to Icelanders in 1874. Today, affiliation with the Church of Iceland is cited by 61% of the country’s inhabitants (Catholicism is claimed by 4%). Iceland is also represented on one other stamp issued by Vatican City. The stamp below was released in 1990 as part of the series of stamps remembering the travels of Pope John Paul II in 1989. He visited Iceland on June 3 and 4, 1989, as part of a 10-day voyage to Scandinavia. Travels of Pope John Paul II in 1989 Scott C89 (1990) REFERENCES: UFN, February 4, 2000, Millenium of Christianity in Iceland Wikipedia.com, Guðmundu Arason Wikipedia.com, Saint Thorlak Wikipedia.com, Jón Ögmundsson Wikipedia.com, Religion in Iceland Vatican Philatelic Society Website (www.vaticanstamps.org), Stamp Database Search