Búðakirkja – the Black Church – is located on Iceland’s Snæfellnes Peninsula and is the iconic black church on the island. While you can find the rainbow of colours of other churches, Búðakirkja is completely black. This is very much in stark contrast to the landscape consisting of multicoloured mountains, fluffy white and grey clouds, flowers and more.
History
A church has existed in the site since 1703 when a Swedish merchant built one on his property. At this point, Búðir (the town at this spot) was a major trading and fishing hub in Iceland, attracting northern European merchants to Iceland, and had been inhabited since the 9th century. The Snæfellnes Peninsula was also the most densely habited part of the island at this time as well, meaning that Búðir was close to the centre of civilisations in Iceland.
There is an origin story for this iconic black church as well. It is said that it was proving difficult to find a place to build the church, so a wise woman told the man to take three arrows, mark one of them, spin around until he became dizzy and then fire all three in quick succession. Wherever the marked arrow landed would be where the church would stand.
Today the Búðakirkja is one of the main draws to this area. As the trading post and fishing hub has long since vanished (it went in the 19th century), the Snæfellnes Peninsula survives solely on tourism Búðakirkja is one of the biggest draws. It helps that it is very photogenic as well!
Landscape
Búðakirkja sits on the edge of a lava field to the east and flat grasslands (and some fields) to the west. To the south is the ocean and the strait that separates the peninsula from Reykjavik. To the north are the mountains that make up the majority of the peninsula and beyond that is more ocean before coming to the western fjords.
As a result, photos of Búðakirkja are usually very stunning of this black church in the foreground and this amazing yet desolate landscape as the background. It is very easy to see why it is such a draw for people coming to Iceland and it is within an easy drive from Reykjavik.
Getting there and info
Búðakirkja sits on its own road off the main Snaefellnes Peninsula road – Route 54; this road is called Búðavegur.
The Google Maps location of the church is here.
The church is still a working one, so there are services held periodically throughout the week. Please keep this in mind and be respectful when visiting.
I recommend visiting early to mid-morning on a sunny day if you can. Not only can you beat the tour buses full of people but also the light from the sun is perfect against the black of the church!
My thoughts
I really enjoyed the visit Búðakirkja. The weather was partially sunny, so we had lots of light but also the rain was missing, which meant there were a lot of rainbows as well. The atmosphere with the church, nature and light was just perfect; I don’t think it could have been much better. Well perhaps the gusting winds of 42 mph / 67 kph can stay home the next time I visit!
When I go again, I’ll definitely also make enough time to hike the nearby lava field, which can take up to 6 hours as there is a wide network. It is also a nature reserve with over 130 different species of plants as well as some amazing geological features created by the nearby volcanoes over thousands of years. It was a really amazing area and seeing the church at the edge of the field was absolutely breathtaking.
Here are some more fun photos from around this area:
Here is also a video of how windy it was:
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