Munkaþverá (translittered as
Munkathvera) was a
Benedictine monastery in
Iceland. It was established around 1155 and was abolished when the country was reformed in 1550. The monastery is best known about its early Abbot
Níkulás Bergsson and his famous publication
Leiðarvísir og borgarskipan, which was basically a guidebook for pilgrims about the routes from Northern Europe to
Rome and
Jerusalem. The monastery once was the home of such heroes of saga literature as
Einar Þveræingur,
Víga-Glúmur and
Bergur Sokkason. It is believed to be the burial place of
Sighvatur Sturluson and his sons who died in the
Battle of Örlygsstaðir.
The current church in Munkaþverá is built in 1844. In front of the church, there is a memorial dedicated to Jón Arason, who attended the monastery and did his studies there.
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