Helgafell Monastery, founded in 1184, represents a significant site in Icelandic history, especially concerning religious and educational developments. This monastery played a dual role: it provided spiritual services to local worshippers while also functioning as a knowledge center, housing one of Iceland’s early libraries and a printing press. Over centuries, it supported education by training clergy and preserving Icelandic literature, instrumental to our current understanding of medieval Icelandic society.

Archaeologists have dedicated recent years to uncovering the precise location of this influential site. Fieldwork conducted from 2014 to 2016 involved multiple surveys and radar analysis to detect subsurface structures, initially concentrating on areas around the church and the lake.