Landakirkja í Vestmannaeyjum

Landa church in the Westman Islands was built in 1774-1778, making it the oldest building on the islands, as well as the third oldest stone church in Iceland. It has been expanded and renovated since, the last big renovation taking place in 1955-1959. In the 17th-19th Century the church was largely financed by a regulation demanding each boat to designate a certain proportion of fish catches towards the church. In the background are the volcanoes Eldfell (left, erupted in 1973 in the most dramatic eruption in Iceland in recent times) and Helgafell (right, erupted some 7,000 years ago, letting many people to think that the main island was no longer volcanically active).