Thingvellir Church Cemetery, Iceland Poster

"Thingvellir Church Cemetery, Iceland" by Catherine Sherman. Crosses mark graves in the cemetery of the Þingvellir (Thingvellir) Church in Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, Iceland. Beyond is the Oxara River (Ax River) and a long ridge of rock, part of the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is the National Park where the Althing, an open-air assembly representing the whole of Iceland, was established in 930 and continued to meet until 1798. Þingvellir means "Parliament Plains." The present church at Þingvellir was consecrated in 1859, and in 1907 the spire was rebuilt and altered. There are three bells in the spire, one of them ancient, another donated by bishop Jón Vídalín when he was ordained in 1698, and a third that was made to "ring in" independence in 1944. Þingvellir was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.