Faxa Bay

Faxa Bay opens in southwest Iceland between the peninsulas of Snæfellsnes and Reykjanes. Volcanic mountains and plateaus surround the water, while glaciers and rivers carry freshwater and sediment toward the coast. Cold currents bring fish close to shore, and small boats could fish in relative safety during calm weather. Settlements along the bay depended on fishing, pasture and the collection of driftwood and seaweed.

Viðey, a small island just north of Reykjavík in Kollafjörður, preserves traces of early settlement from the tenth century. A chapel was built in the twelfth century, and in 1225 a monastery was founded there. The monastery held lands and fishing rights around the bay and survived until the Protestant Reformation in the late sixteenth century.

Fishing families, farmers and monastic estates used Faxa Bay’s waters under the rules of Icelandic districts and Church authorities. Boats moved between coastal farms and markets, while foreign merchants sought fish, wool and skins. The bay’s identity comes from the meeting of fertile coastal strips, cold fishing water and a long religious presence on Viðey.