Found in Qinngua, this church is situated just three miles from Brattahlíð, the 10th-century estate of the famous Viking explorer Erik the Red.
The National Museum of DenmarkArchaeologists have identified a Norse church in Greenland for the first time in 60 years.
Archaeologists excavating stone ruins at Qinngua in southern Greenland have uncovered a skeleton in a customary Christian burial — confirming that these ruins were once a Norse church dating back to somewhere between 1100 and 1300 C.E.
This is the first Norse church that’s been discovered in Greenland in more than 60 years. Located just three miles from the estate of famous Viking explorer Erik the Red, this church could shed new light on the rise and fall of Viking society in Greenland during the High Middle Ages.
The Discovery Of A Norse Church And Medieval Burial In Southern Greenland
The recent excavations were done by a team of researchers from the National Museum of Denmark, Greenland’s National Museum and Archive, the University Museum of Bergen, and UNESCO Kujataa.
The ruins at Qinngua were first excavated in the early 2000s, revealing a rectangular stone wall with a stone building in the center, a design that typically suggests the presence of a church.
Michael Nielsen, Greenland National Museum and ArchivesThe skeleton was buried facing east, which was customary for Christian burials at the time.
However, whether this structure had in fact been a Norse church went unconfirmed — until now.
The breakthrough came when researchers discovered a skeleton buried near the church with its head pointed east, as is traditional for Christian churchyard burials of this time and place. The presence of this grave thus confirmed that the stone structure was indeed a Norse church, the first one found in Greenland in decades.
“This is ‘the smoking gun.’ Now there is no doubt that this is a church. Inuit are buried in stone-covered chambers, whereas Norse people are buried in cemeteries, so everything points in the same direction,” Christian Edelfelt Koch Madsen, a senior researcher from the National Museum, said in a statement.
Michael Nielsen, Greenland National Museum and ArchivesArchaeologists tentatively dated the church ruins to somewhere between 1100 and 1300 C.E.
Researchers are still collecting and analyzing samples from the skeleton, but they have tentatively dated the burial to the early Middle Ages and dated the church to somewhere between 1100 and 1300 C.E.
How This Find Could Help Archaeologists Uncover Other Lost Churches
This discovery is especially exciting because of its close proximity to Erik the Red’s main estate in Brattahlíð, which was established in around 985 C.E.
In all, six Norse churches have been discovered within this small region of southern Greenland, three of which stayed in use through the Middle Ages.
The National Museum of DenmarkA map of Norse churches discovered in southern Greenland, with the red circle indicating the site of the recent find.
Researchers hope that this newly-discovered church will provide fresh insights into how Norse society functioned in southern Greenland and how power was distributed within it.
In Norse society, churches were not just places of worship, but centers of power, so, by studying them, researchers believe that more can be understood about Vikings and the Norse people before the collapse of their society in Greenland starting in the 14th century.
The ruins at Qinngua are also located near the remains of two or three farms, suggesting that a village may have once been situated near the church.
“We have to rethink the significance of this whole area to the Norse people. Churches were vital in Norse society, which makes them key to understanding how their society, especially the power structures, developed,” Madsen said. “It almost seems as if this area was home to a veritable race to build churches and thus demonstrate power and position.”
Michael Nielsen, Greenland National Museum and ArchivesThe mountains near the church ruins may be the same “Sunny Mountains” referred to in a medieval Icelandic manuscript.
In addition to contributing to historians’ understanding of Norse power structures, researchers believe that this recent find should provide clues as to the locations of other Norse churches in Greenland.
Researchers have used medieval texts that mention the names and locations of Norse churches to guide their excavations. One of these texts, an Icelandic manuscript known as “The Book of Flatey,” mentions one house of worship that could be this newly-discovered church.
The “Kirkja undir Sólarfjöllum,” or “the Church under the Sunny Mountains,” could refer to the mountains that sit behind the church, in an area that often has sunny weather.
“As the location of this church fits so well with the descriptions in the sources, it would make sense to try to locate other churches also mentioned in writing, but as yet undiscovered,” Madsen said.
After reading about the discovery of a Norse church in Greenland, learn about the Varangian Guard, the Viking warriors who served as the Byzantine emperor’s personal army. Then, discover why the Norse underworld Helheim isn’t as fearsome as it seems.