Human-made cave in southern Iceland dating to the 9th century, carved into the volcanic landscape by an Irish Christian monastic order around 800 A.D. and later occupied by Vikings from 874 A.D. through the 13th century.
About This Site
Kverkarhellir Cave is a human-made underground chamber in southern Iceland, carved into the volcanic rock by an Irish Christian monastic order around 800 A.D. The cave predates the Norse settlement of Iceland, which began in 874 A.D. when Vikings conquered the island and occupied existing sites, including Kverkarhellir, which they used through the 13th century. The cave represents a rare overlap between two distinct cultural traditions in the North Atlantic: the early Irish Christian monastic movement, which established hermitages and religious communities across remote Atlantic islands, and the Norse expansion that followed and absorbed these earlier settlements. The cave's walls bear carved symbols left by both cultures over centuries of occupation.
Connection to Oak Island
In Season 11, Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, Alex Lagina, Peter Fornetti, and the team visited Kverkarhellir Cave during their Scandinavian and Icelandic research trip. Historian Roberto Pagani led the group through the underground caverns. Inside, the team discovered a cross carving that resembled the lead cross found at Smith's Cove on Oak Island, as well as similar carvings observed at Templar sites in France and Italy during earlier research trips.
Back in the War Room, Doug recapped the symbols encountered across the entire European trip that also appeared on Oak Island. Alex presented the cave carving from Iceland alongside images of the lead cross, and the group discussed the growing evidence of a symbolic tradition connecting Irish monastic, Norse, and Templar cultures across the North Atlantic. The Kverkarhellir cross established that the lead cross design was not unique to any single tradition but existed within a centuries-old symbolic language shared across cultures with documented connections to Atlantic navigation.
Fieldwork Notes
Visited during Season 11 by Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, Alex Lagina, Peter Fornetti, and team members. Historian Roberto Pagani guided the group through the cave. The team documented a cross carving resembling the Oak Island lead cross, connecting it to similar carvings found at Templar sites in France and Italy.
