Magnus Cathedral

File:Kirkjubøur, Faroe Islands.JPG

Ruins of Magnus Cathedral

File:Recherche Expedition 1839 Kirkjubøur.jpg

The Magnus Cathedral in 1839

Magnus Cathedral is a ruined cathedral in the village of Kirkjubøur on the island of Streymoy in the Faroe Islands. It was built by Bishop Erlendur about the year 1300, but the building was never completed. The cathedral is in an unfinished state to this day. The building has never had a roof. Magnus Cathedral is the largest and most beautiful medieval building in the Faroe Islands.

Conservation work

Conservation work on the Cathedral started in 1997, as it became clear that the ruin was deteriorating at a rapid pace, with more and more mortar falling away under pressure from the elements, mostly the frequent rains, but also salt water from the sea.

During 2002-2004, a wooden shield was erected around most of the ruin, giving it enough shelter to dry out, before work could begin on preservation. The shielding has drawn a lot of critical voices based on it outward looks.

During the research into how to preserve the ruin, a conclusion was reached. That there would be no outward reconstructions made, and instead a continued preservation work would be implemented, where the mortar would be reinforced from time to time. And all horizontal surfaces where water could seep in, would be "soft capped" with forms of mortar and clay, before getting topped with sod and grass. This work began in 2010.

Today considerable headway has been made, and large sections of the shielding have been removed[1] and work is expected to be finished in the not too distant future.

While it is hoped that the Magnus Cathedral will be accepted as a UNESCO World heritage Site, the outlooks are not looking too bright.[2]

Pictures of the ruins of the Magnus Cathedral featured on a series of Faroese stamps in 1988:

• Faroe stamp 169 cathedral ruins in kirkjubour.jpg

  FR 169: The Cathedral. Note the lovely detail of ewe and lamb in the foreground.

• Faroe stamp 170 cathedral ruins in kirkjubour.jpg

  FR 170: Detail of a gothic arc.

• Faroe stamp 171 cathedral ruins in kirkjubour.jpg

  FR 171: The crucifixion on an indoor wall.

• Faroe stamp 172 cathedral ruins in kirkjubour.jpg

  FR 172: Inside the ruins.