By the time of his birth, the Catholic Church was firmly established in Iceland following contention between Norwegian and German missionaries with native pagan religions in the two centuries preceding.
After returning to Iceland in 1165, he founded a monastery of Canons Regular and devoted himself to a life of contemplative prayer.
He was ordained a bishop by Augustine of Nidaros in 1178 and worked to reform the Church and religious life in Iceland.
Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1984, instituting his feast of December 23 on the liturgical calendar and designating him as patron saint of Iceland.
Nonetheless, and also like many isolated areas, Iceland has a handful of local persons historically venerated as saintly.