2012Archeological Excavations At Skriðuklaustur - Miniature Sheet

Skriðuklaustur is a cultural research centre and a renowned farm in the district of Fljótsdalur in the east of Iceland. It was also the site of the monastery of the Order of Saint Augustine from 1493 until 1552. Skriðuklaustur was the last monastery to be established in Iceland in the country’s Catholic Era. A church was consecrated at Skriðuklaustur in 1496 and used until the 18th century. Then a smaller church was built but in 1792 church services were discontinued. The monastery gradually fell into oblivion and its buildings sunk into ground. Archeologists have found the ruins of the old Augustine monastery and excavations have been carried out since 2002. The Skriðuklaustur Research organization, with Austurland Museum and the Gunnar Gunnarsson Foundation as members, is in charge of the excavations. Gunnar Gunnarsson is an Icelandic writer who lived at Skriðuklaustur from 1939 until 1948. Gunnar donated the land to the State Treasury on the condition that it would be used to promote culture and research. The Gunnar Gunnarsson Foundation was established in 1997 and is run as an all year round culture and academic centre.