Explore the medieval St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkjubø with its remarkable archaeological remains and rich Nordic history.

St. Magnus Cathedral, locally named Kirkjubømúrurin, is the only place in the country where the ancient remains are so magnificent and monumental that one can walk directly into a preserved medieval environment. These structures do not reflect traditional Faroese building customs and culture, but rather bear the mark of their connection to the Nordic and global church during the Middle Ages.

Here, one finds buildings and ruins with walls constructed from stone, laid in local lime mortar and plastered. These remnants of the bishop’s seat, which existed from the early 1100s until its dissolution in 1557, testify to wealth and power in an otherwise sparsely populated society. They highlight the site’s role as the country’s ecclesiastical and cultural center — it was especially through Kirkjubø that cultural influences from the Nordic countries and Europe entered Faroese society.