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Tjodhildes Church

Tjodhilde was credited for Erik the Red’s conversion to Christianity and the building of the first church on the North American continent.

Tjodhilde’s husband, Erik the Red, had the honour of being the first European to set foot in Greenland, and their son, Leif Eriksson, was the man who not only brought Christianity to the Viking community in Greenland, but was also the first European to make landfall in North America, some 500 years before Columbus.

Tjodhilde herself, however, also achieved remarkable feats: It was she who was behind the first Christian church on the North American continent in Brattahlid, and it was also she who converted her warlike, pagan husband to Christianity.

Package Tours

Blue Ice Explorer: Easy hiking package

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Easy hiking package. 8 days

Tour package for individual travellers in the best hiking area in Greenland! Accommodation at farms and in settlements.

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Blue Ice Explorer – South Greenland 5 days – active

Blue Ice Explorer

South Greenland 5 days – active

A 5-day getaway from Iceland for the active traveller with hiking around Igaliku, Qassiarsuk and Narsarsuaq.

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RECONSTRUCTION IN QASSIARSUK

Today, more than 1000 years later, Tjodhilde’s wish concerning the erection of a church has in a way been fulfilled once again.

Since the start of the new millennium, travellers to the south of Greenland have had the chance to visit accurate reconstructions of Tjodhilde’s Church and Erik the Red’s longhouse.

The reconstructions in Qassiarsuk, which is the Greenlandic name for Brattahlid, are built in turf and timber not far from where the original church was sited.

The internal dimensions of the church are just 2 x 3.5 metres (6.5 x 11.5 feet) and although it is a bit of a squeeze, there is actually room for 20 – 25 people.

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Editors' pick

Canned Northern Lights

Breaking news: Canned Northern Lights!
Greenland's mesmerising northern lights can now be seen anywhere in the world, for a limited time only!

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Diving into the Nuuk fjord as the sun is setting. Photo by Peter Lindstrom - Visit Greenland

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Greenland’s on your bucket list for the new year - or perhaps even the year after - but when is the best time to visit Greenland and what are useful things to know before going? What are things to do in Greenland in winter as opposed to summer?

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Disko Bay Steam in Ilulissat Ice Fjord. Photo - David Trood, Visit Greenland

Greenland vs Iceland: The Arctic Travel Battle

10 basic differences between Greenland and Iceland you should know before booking your vacation.

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A glacier hiker on the Greenland Ice Sheet kicking up ice on a sunny day near Kangerlussuaq. Photo by Mads Pihl - Visit Greenland.

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Here is a list of things that you can find ONLY in Greenland and nowhere else in the world.

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The Greenlandic kayak Kayaker near mountainside. By Mads Pihl The axe of Leif Erikson - the statue overlooking Qassiarsuk in South Greenland, by Mads Pihl Leif Eriksson
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