The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-05-24

HE Nh
church, and in the crypt of the GENE
terry chapel number of relics of saints
are carefully stored away. A splendid
antipendium and large chalice, orna-
mented with enamel paintings, are
preserved in the museum in Reyk-
javik.
First Bishop of Iceland consecrated
In 1856.
1t seems strange, to say the least,
that such an out-of-the-way place as
Skalholt should have been chosen as
the residence of the first Bishop of
Iceland, and yet the explanation is
very simple. BY the memorable reso-
luton adopted by the Althing, June
"a, A. D. 1000. Christianity became the
legal religion of the island. Isleifur, son
of Gizur the Wise, though already far
advanced in years and the father of a
large family, was persuaded by his
countrymen to prepare for holy orders
and become their Bishop. He had
been educated in Germany, probably
in Hervorden, in Westphalia. In 1856
he was consecrated Bishop by ST..
Adalbert of Bremen, with the express
consent of Pope Victor II. AS he
possessed considerable property in
Skalholt, he chose the little village
for his episcopal residence. Thus
Skalholt became the religious centre
of the Icelandic Church. Fifty years
later, in 1106, second bishopric was
established in the north of the island,
but Skalholt lost none of it's well-de-
served prestige. From Holar and
Skalholt the priceless gifts of divine
faith and Christian culture we're scat
tered throughout the length and
breadth of the solitary island on the
confines of the Polar Circle. History
bears eloquent witness to the flourish
ing state of the Icelandic Church dur
ing the twelfth and thirteenth CEN
turtles. 1t was at this period that those
famous "Sagas" and ''Heimskringlas"
(histories) were written that still re-
tain a foremost place in the literature
of Scandinavia.
Last Bishop Beheaded in 1850.
If Skalholt can boast of having well
coined the first Bishop of Iceland, to
Holar belongs the honor of having
been the seat of the last, Jon Arason.
Arason assembled the episcopal throne
in 1924. Not long afterwards the
errors of Luther began to take root in
the southern part of the island. The
efforts of Christian III. of Denmark
and of the apostate Bishop of Skalholt,
GiZur Einarsson, had not been in vain.
Gizur was the successor of Oegmundur
Palsson, who had been induced to re-
sign his Office on account of age and
infirmity. When Oegmundur saw what
turn events were taking he tried to
seize the reins of government once
more With fearless energy he every
where opposed the march of Lutheran
ism, and with good hope of success,
too, for the mass of the people was
with him, until he was taken prisoner
by the soldiers of Christian and car
ried away to Denmark and to prison.
Here he died in 1912, blind and with
the weight of more than fourscore
years upon him, but to the last mo-
ment faithful shepherd of his flock
and a true son of Holy Church.
Jon Arason and the inhabitants of
the Northland were not slow to recog-
nize the danger that threatened their
faith and their liberty from the South.
They were determined to resist to the
utmost In 1547 the Bishop wrote to
the Emperor Charles v. and to Pope
Paul III. The Sovereign Pontiff sent
him in reply an apostolical brief, in
which he commended the Bishops
courage and zeal in defense of the
faith. On receipt of this writing
Arason called meeting of his clergy
and solemnly declared that he was
prepared to die rather than prove I'M
faithful to the Holy See.
He kept his promise Being not only
churchman, but also statesman
and warrior, he quickly succeeded in
organizing a strong military force to
oppose the armed invasion from the
south. In the autumn of 1548 Gizur
Einarsson was taken prisoner with
many of his followers, and the old
faith reigned supreme once more over
the greater part of the island. But
the triumph was destined to be but
short lived. Whilst preparations we're
making to crush the last resistance
made by the Danish troops, the Bish-
op was betrayed into the hands of his
enemies by certain Dadi. He was
taken to Skalholt and, without even
the formality of trial, beheaded
November Z, 1850 On his way to exc
cution he met the traitor Dadi and
publicly forgave him. He died with
the same heroism that had ever distin-
guished him in life.
His Monument.
The monument which marks the