Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir

Who was Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir?

Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir was an Icelandic seamstress and Bishop's wife.

She was the daughter of the Reverend Jón Arason of Vatnsfjörður and his wife Hólmfríður Sigurðardóttir. She was one of twelve children and was an active seamstress. She taught this skill actively.

Ragnheiður became the wife of two consecutive Lutheran bishops in the Hólar see -- Gísli Þorláksson and Einar Þorsteinsson. Ragnheiður was considered one of the finest marriageable women of her time. Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir and her husband Bishop Þórláksson asked Guðmundur Guðmundsson from Bjarnastaðahlíð in Vesturdalur, who was one of the most renowned craftsman in Iceland in the 17th century, to build the church at Gröf on the Skagi peninsula, at that time the sanctuary for the widows of bishops. The building, among the smallest houses of worship in Iceland, is located just south of Hofsós.

Ragnheiður is probably best known for being on the front of the 5000 Icelandic Krónur bank note. When this note was introduced, the Central Bank of Iceland tried to find imagery related to Icelandic women and their contribution to Icelandic culture.