RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Iceland

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Icelander Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Icelander Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Jón Ögmundsson (1052 - 1121)

With an HPI of 51.49, Jón Ögmundsson is the most famous Icelander Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages on wikipedia.

Jón Ögmundsson or Ogmundarson (Latin: Ioannes Ögmundi filius; 1052–23 April 1121), also known as John of Holar and Jon Helgi Ogmundarson, was an Icelandic Catholic bishop. In 1106, the second Icelandic diocese, Hólar, was created in the north of Iceland, and Jón was appointed its first bishop. He served as bishop there until his death.

2. Ísleifur Gissurarson (1006 - 1080)

With an HPI of 48.84, Ísleifur Gissurarson is the 2nd most famous Icelander Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Ísleifur Gissurarson (c. 1006 – 5 July 1080), an Icelandic clergyman, became the first bishop of Iceland, following the adoption of Christianity in 1000 AD. His parents were Gissur Teitsson and Þórdís Þóroddsdóttir. After studying in Herford in Germany, he was made bishop of Iceland in 1056 by Athelbjart, archbishop of Bremen. He built up a see in his family homestead in Skálholt and founded a school. One of his students was Jón Ögmundarson (1052-1121), who later became the first bishop in Hólar. Ísleifur served as bishop for 24 years, right until his death. His wife was Dalla Þorvaldsdóttir and they had three sons: Þorvaldur, Teitur and Gissur, the latter taking over as bishop after his father's death in 1080.

3. Saint Thorlak (1133 - 1193)

With an HPI of 48.31, Saint Thorlak is the 3rd most famous Icelander Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Thorlak Thorhallsson (Icelandic: Þorlákur Þórhallsson; 1133 – 23 December 1193) is the patron saint of Iceland. He was Bishop of Skálholt from 1178 until his death. Thorlak's relics were translated to the Cathedral of Skalholt in 1198, not long after his successor, Páll Jónsson, announced at the Althing that vows could be made to Thorlak. His status as a saint did not receive official recognition from the Catholic Church until 14 January 1984, when John Paul II canonized him and declared him the patron saint of Iceland. His feast day is 23 December, when Thorlac's Mass is celebrated in Iceland.