Once, heated streams of lava ravaged and razed the grounds, scorching the earth and hardening into strangling rock. Over time, the earth healed as volcanic ash was taken over by rolling meadows and grass. Sitting atop the extensive lava fields is the Budir Black Church, the solitary highlight of a quiet and unassuming village.

You might wonder what’s in a simple church that has photographers flocking to this small village. Picture this, simple black wood set against a sky of stormy gray and bright greens. The juxtaposing colors require no correction to bring out the rustic character of Iceland set against the human elements of the church. The initial church built on these grounds was torn down but the conviction of a single church member revived the church of old. Construction was completed in the 1980s with the bell residing in the black tower and the chalice a reminder of what the church once was. With the waist high grass framed by the towering peaks of Snæfellsjökull, the Budir Black Church might as well be a set from the Wizard of Oz.