Norse church ruin found in Greenland

A skeleton unearthed during an excavation in August confirms the discovery of a Norse church ruin in Greenland. The find was made at Qinngua near Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland, not far from Erik the Red’s settlement. 

“This is a sensation, which means 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,” says Christian Edelfelt Koch Madsen, senior researcher at the National Museum and research coordinator of the project. 

The discovery was made by a team of researchers from the National Museum of Denmark, Greenland’s National Museum and Archive, University Museum of Bergen and UNESCO Kujataa.  

It is more than 60 years since a Norse church was last discovered in Greenland. Back then, they were Viking-Age churches that had soon been given up again; but this one is a bigger church that was likely in use up through the Middle Ages. This makes it especially interesting because it tells us something about the developments in Greenland during the transition between the birth and demise of the settlement. Our knowledge about that period is still full of holes. 

Grave confirms this is a church 

The notion that this could be a church has been around for some time. It arose because the ruins at the site comprise a rectangular stone wall with a stone building in the middle, which typically indicates a church. But the decisive proof would be to find a cemetery with graves, and ever since the National Museum first excavated at the site in the 2000s, none have been found. 

This summer, however, researchers located a skeleton. It was placed with the head towards the east, as is customary for Christian burials. The grave thus confirms the existence of a cemetery and, in turn, the church. 

“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, including the written sources,” says Christian Edelfelt Koch Madsen. 

Clue to other undiscovered churches 

The medieval written sources mention several names and locations of Norse churches, and one of the more credible ones fits the location of the newly found church rather well. The account of “Kirkja undir Sólarfjöllum” (the Church under the Sunny Mountains) matches the mountains in the background, which the Norse must have called the Sunny Mountains. They are right by the ice cap and subject to a local high pressure that often yields sunny weather. 

In the long run, the discovery may thus lead to new church finds, predicts Christian Edelfelt Koch Madsen.  

“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.” 

Researchers are still analysing samples from the find, but the skeleton was placed with its arms along its sides, which suggests early Middle Ages. The large size of the church and the many hewn stones would typically be dated to the period 1100 - 1300. 

The ruins of two or three farms are located near the church, which may suggest the beginnings of a village society. 

New insights into power structures  

The find is also exciting since it was made near Erik the Red’s main settlement at Brattahlíð. In this relatively small area, six churches have been found, although only three remained in use into the Middle Ages.  

“It almost seems as if this area was home to a veritable race to build churches and thus demonstrate power and position. That race likely had some losers who perhaps gave up on their church buildings – such as this one. More research will show. Regardless, this find means we have to look at the area in a new way and reconsider what we know about Norse medieval societal structures,” says Christian Edelfelt Koch Madsen. 

The find simultaneously emphasises that there is still much to discover and document regarding Norse times in southern Greenland. Archaeological excavations contribute to an ever more detailed picture of life among the so-called Greenlandic Vikings, from the year 980 until the 1400s when Norse society in Greenland collapsed and was abandoned. The reasons for this collapse have been discussed by scholars for decades. 

“The new discovery may be another little clue to understanding that mystery,” says Christian Edelfelt Koch Madsen. 

Contact: 

• Christian Edelfelt Koch Madsen, senior researcher, The National Museum of Denmark, +45 4120 6388, cekm@natmus.dk
• Konrad Smiarowski, PhD, University Museum of Bergen / Universitetsmuseet i Bergen, +47 93933205, konrad.smiarowski@uib.no
• Michael Nielsen, museum curator, Greenland’s National Museum and Archive, +299 52 03 51, michael@natmus.gl
• Aqqaluaq Frederiksen, Site Manager, UNESCO Kujataa, +299 64 71 32, af@isg.gl