During the Middle Ages the small village of Kirkjubøur, 12 km south of Tórshavn, near the southern tip of Streymoy, was the spiritual and secular centre of Faroese life. The site overflows with interesting historical material such as the See in Kirkjubøur which was the Episcopal residence. Parts of a medieval timber building which was constructed in the fashion of a loghouse can still be seen in the cellar walls. The small cathedral on the site, popularly called the Church of St. Olav, was built in the thirteenth century and still serves as a parish church.

Remnants of the walls of yet another church can be seen on the southern edge of the village. Sources tell us that construction of the great Magnus Cathedral was probably begun in the Gothic style under Bishop Erlendur, who served there from 1269-1308. For some reasons it was never finished, even though the chapel may have been completed with a vault, roof and stone flooring. A reliquary immured in the eastern wall, and the splendid capstone - a stone relief depicting the Crucifixion - testifies to the fact that the church was consecrated to St. Magnus of the Orkneys and St. Thorlacius of Iceland. The ancient farmhouse is still in use, part of which has been converted into a museum that is open to the public, the original part being believed to be the oldest log cabin in Europe.