Road developers have been ordered to move a giant rock along a new road - because it is believed to be an ancient elven church in Icelandic folklore . The formation has now been placed by the side of the route near similar rocks , just over a year after the issue hit international headlines when campaigners urged the highway project to be halted . Elf advocates feared the building of the direct route from the tip of the Alftanes peninsula to Gardabaer would disturb elf habitat , and claimed the area contains an elf church . Rocky road : Elf advocates feared the building of the direct route from the tip of the Alftanes peninsula to Gardabaer would disturb elf habitat and claimed the area contains an elf church . The project was stopped until the country ’ s supreme court ruled on a case brought by the Friends of Lava group , who cited both its environmental and cultural impact - including the bearing on elves . But while the building of the road will now go ahead , the rock has been spared and was transferred to its new location yesterday , reported the Morgunblaðið ( ‘ Morning Paper ’ ) newspaper . Hilmar Örn Hilmars­son , high chieftain of the Ásatrú pagan society , carried out what he called a sanctification ritual at the rock in 2009 - an event which was even supported by a former president . He said : ‘ Tales and legends have spoken of this unusual rock , formed in the shape of a church , which stood in the middle of a well-travelled path for centuries and served to guide people. ’ Workers had estimated that the two parts of the rock weighed 20 and 50 tonnes – and while they were correct about the latter , the former was in fact 37 , resulting in a total weight of 87 tonnes . Ragnhildur Jonsdottir , a self-proclaimed 'seer ' , believes she can communicate with the creatures through telepathy , and said the loss of the rock would have been ‘ terrible ’ for elves and humans . Moved : While the building of the road in Iceland will now go ahead , the rock has been spared and was transferred to its new location yesterday ( above ) She told Morgunblaðið : ‘ The elves told me that Ófeigskirkja had been used as a beacon guiding people through the lava , and the rock was right there , in the pathway of the new road . ‘ I wrote to the Mayor of Garðabær on be­half of the elves . Ófeigskirkja will now be moved to a place near other elven abodes in harmony with the wishes of the elves. ’ An Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration spokesman confirmed yesterday that Ms Jonsdottir was 'pleased with the arrangement and removal ’ of the rock . Friends of Lava has regularly brought hundreds of people out to block bulldozers - and it is not the first time issues about 'Huldufolk ' ( 'hidden folk ' ) have affected planning decisions . They occur so often that the road and coastal administration has come up with a stock media response for elf inquiries . Location : The road is being built between the Alftanes peninsula to Gardabaer , south of the capital Reykjavik . It states in part that 'issues have been settled by delaying the construction project at a certain point while the elves living there have supposedly moved on ' . A survey conducted by the University of Iceland eight years ago found that some 62 per cent of the 1,000 respondents thought it was at least possible that elves exist . Though many of the Friends of Lava are primarily motivated by environmental fears , they see the elf issue as part of a wider concern for the history and culture of the unique landscape . Andri Snaer Magnason , a well-known environmentalist , said his major concern was that the road would cut the lava field in two , among other things , destroying nesting sites . One of Iceland 's most famous daughters , the singer Bjork , had no hesitation in responding when asked by US comedian and TV host Stephen Colbert if people in her country believed in elves . 'We do , ' she said three years ago . 'It 's sort of a relationship with nature , like with the rocks . ( The elves ) all live in the rocks , so you have to . It 's all about respect , you know . '
Formation placed by side of Alftanes-Gardabaer route near similar rocks . Issue hit headlines in centuries when campaigners urged project to be halted . Elf advocates feared building of direct route would disturb the elf habitat . Building of road in Iceland will now go ahead , but rock has been spared .