Kirkjubømúrurin
Kirkjubømúrurin or just Múrurin ( Faroese for "the wall") is the ruin of Magnus Cathedral (also Magnus Cathedral , Faroese Magnuskatedralurin ) from around 1300 in Kirkjubøur on the Faroe Islands . It is on the waiting list for a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the most important medieval building in the Faroe Islands.
history
It is unclear whether Magnus Cathedral was ever completed and consecrated. The high Gothic cathedral ruins have neither roof nor windows. It is 25.5 m long, 10.8 m wide and 9 m high. One looks in vain for a church tower , but there are recognizable signs that it was planned. The approximately 1.5 m thick walls are made of native basalt .
Construction began around 1300 under the resident bishop Erlendur , who is also credited with the sheep letter . Not least because of this, Erlendur was the most important Faroese bishop in the Middle Ages. However, he had to flee from the Faroe Islands soon after, because he demanded too high taxes from the population and it was likely that there was an uprising. This may be the reason for the incomplete state. Another theory is that the Black Death was to blame, which struck the Faroe Islands in 1349/1350 and reduced the population by a third.
On the north side there is an annex which is generally assumed that at least it was covered. This roof of the extension is said to have been destroyed again by an avalanche in 1772 . It is possible that church services were held in this annex up to then. However, in the immediate vicinity there was (and is) the Ólavskirkjan , the oldest still operating church in the Faroe Islands.
The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Magnus , the Jarl of the Orkneys , and Saint Bishop Þorlákur Þórhallsson of Skálholt . Relics of both were found in 1905 in the form of bone fragments. Furthermore, a splinter was found that is said to come from the cross of Christ and a scrap of cloth that was attributed to a robe of the Virgin Mary .
On the inside of the ruin there were twelve carved consecration crosses , six of which are still in situ, while another is in the neighboring royal farm and another in the Danish National Museum.
Due to the harsh Faroese weather with frequent storms and rain, the ruin has been increasingly attacked over the centuries. Therefore, it is currently being completely renovated, and consideration is given to sealing it completely with a glass house.
Picture gallery
Pointed arch detail of a window.
Postage stamp from 1988.
A plaque on the east side of the interior shows the crucified Jesus Christ with the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene
The interior of the Magnus Cathedral.
One of the "Seven Faroese Wonders"
At Ólavsøka 2007, Faroese television Sjónvarp Føroya organized a nationwide competition on the “Seven Faroese Wonders”, in which viewers could make suggestions about special buildings and other objects. A ranking of the eight winners (due to a tie in one case) has not been announced, but Magnus Cathedral is one of them. The others are the church stalls of Kirkjubøur , the Christianskirkjan in Klaksvík, the House of the North , Tinganes , the Norðoyatunnilin , the first flag of the Faroe Islands in the church of Fámjin and the seat of the Imperial Ombudsman in the Faroe Islands (the last two with a tie).
festival
In 2009 a rock festival took place here for the first time. It was called Við Múrin ("by the wall") after the ruins of the cathedral .
literature
- Steen Ulrik Johannessen: Turen går til Færøerne , Copenhagen 2005. (Standard travel guide in Danish with detailed descriptions of all places and sights).
Individual evidence
- ↑ portal.fo : Føroyingar hava valt síni undurverk ( Memento of September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (“The Faroese have chosen their marvels”), July 28, 2007
Coordinates: 61 ° 57 ′ N , 6 ° 48 ′ W