Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1960, Page 13

AUÐUNN RAUÐI OG HÓLAKIRKJA
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Eg bið yður svo að fyrirgefa rissið. Og ef eg gæti gert eitthvað
frekar fyrir yður í þessu, þá er það velkomið.
Með virðingu,
yðar einlægur
Árni Sveinsson.
SUMMAEY
The first cathedral at the former episcopal see of Hólar was built by the first
bishop there, St. Jón (1106—21), and replaced an older parochial church.
This edifice lasted till about 1280, when it was rebuilt by bishop Jörundr Þor-
steinsson. That one blew down in 1394, and was rebuilt by bishop Pétur Nikulás-
son immediately after. This edifice blew down in 1624. Needless to mention these
buildings were timber-churches. The measurements of the cathedral from 1395
are known and presumably derive from the registrum of 1461. They show that
the wooden cathedral had an overall length of aboút 49 metres, a width of about
11 metres, across the transept about 20 metres. These measurements are about
the same as found through the excavation of the foundations of the mediaeval
cathedral at Skálholt, a fact which corroborates the source found in Brevis Com-
mentarius about the equal size of the two cathedrals.
After the disaster of 1624 a new edifice was built of wood and considerably
smaller in size. Overall length about 28 metres, width of the nave about 10,4
metres.
This new cathedral had the same high-altar as the older ones, (shown as an
oblong on the drawing to scale). That altar and the steps were constructed during
the reign of bishop Auðunn the Red about 1320. He imported masons from
abroad and used a red sandstone found neai' the see for building purposes. This
altar, the only known mediaeval stone altar in Iceland, was hollow and with an
iron-door at the back. The cavity was used as a safe. This same bishop also
started work on a stone cathedral, but only a wall of uncertain height was built
around the choii'. This wall survived till 1759, and two cursory descriptions exist
from that century.
When bishop Jón Vigfússon was buried in 1690, he had chosen as his grave-
site the open space between the east wall of the choir and this wall. This space
Was partially enclosed by some sort of edifice and a door put into the choirwall.
The last wooden cathedral was pulled down in 1759 and replaced by the survi-
ving one built of the red sandstone mentioned above.
The south-east corner was placed on the south and east foundations of the
mediaeval wall, which unfortunately was pulled down and the materials used for
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