Millennium of Christianity in Iceland

     In 2000 Iceland celebrated the millennium of Christianity's presence on the island. Irish monks were the first inhabitants of Iceland. They arrived at the end of the 8th century and were expelled in the 9th century by the Vikings and the Normans. The country was Christianized in the 11th century. Iceland became independent in the 19th century.
     To commemorate that occasion Vatican City issued a stamp which shows a 15th century altar cloth of the Cathedral of Holar. The altar cloth, done almost completely in couched gold thread, is preserved in the National Museum in Reykjavik.