The library in the church tower

In the tower of Skálholt Church, there is a remarkable and good collection of the oldest prints in Iceland. The museum contains copies of most of the books that were printed in Iceland from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century.

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The museum is originally the museum of Þorstein Þorsteinsson, the commissioner of Dalaman. Kári Helgason then bought the collection, added to it somewhat and improved it.

Bishop Sigurbjörn Einarsson lobbied for the National Church to buy the collection from Kára in 1965, and after public fundraising, a temporary place was found in the tower of the church, where it is still preserved in fireproof vaults.

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The museum contains copies of most of the books that were printed in Iceland from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th.

The printing house, which bishop Jón Arason brought to Iceland and which was first in Breiðabólstaði in Vestur Hópi, was moved to Hólar and was Iceland's only printing house for two centuries. Holaprent was responsible for all printing for the church at that time, Bibles, hymnals, mass books, sermon collections, prayer books and other books of God's words. The oldest books in the tower are the Bible 1584, the Book of Psalms 1589 and the Grallarinn 1594. In the tower, for example, the Bible is signed by Bishop Guðbrand Þorláksson to his daughter Halldóra.