The Sun Voyager won Jón Gunnar Árnason the sculpturecontest for Reykavjik’s 200-year anniversary in 1986. It is a tribute to thesun with the promise of undiscovered territory, progress and freedom. In Sweden, there is roughly one church for 2,600 inhabitants. The correspondingfigure for Iceland is 888 inhabitants. Iceland became Christian as early as theyear 1,000 AC. A map of all the country’s churches is also a picture of thenation’s history. Well behaved citizens could always count on having a churchnearby, while outlaws and those exiled to the inhospitable highlands had to dowithout. Inthis newsletter, you can travel to some of Iceland’s spectacular churcheslocated in and around Reykjavik. Click on the images to view a larger versionwith more details. Enjoy!
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NEWSLETTER 11


The remarkable churches of Iceland

The Sun Voyager won Jón Gunnar Árnason the sculpture contest for Reykavjik’s 200-year anniversary in 1986. It is a tribute to the sun with the promise of undiscovered territory, progress and freedom.

In Sweden, there is roughly one church for 2,600 inhabitants. The corresponding figure for Iceland is 888 inhabitants. Iceland became Christian as early as the year 1,000 AC. A map of all the country’s churches is also a picture of the nation’s history. Well behaved citizens could always count on having a church nearby, while outlaws and those exiled to the inhospitable highlands had to do without.


In this newsletter, you can travel to some of Iceland’s spectacular churches located in and around Reykjavik. Click on the images to view a larger version with more details.

Enjoy!


 


Fríkirkja

The growing population of Reykjavík and the accompanying social changes contributed to a nonconformist church being founded in 1899. It followed the nonconformist church movement in Norway and the Icelandic immigrant communities in North America who wanted to bring the church closer to the people, without breaking with the national Lutheran Church.  Fríkirkja welcomes everyone, regardless of race, color, language, gender, sexual orientation, social status or religion.
 
The church was built in 1903 and is centrally located on lake Tjörnin. It is basically built of wood, but covered with corrugated iron. A construction method that can be seen on many of Reykjavik buildings from the same period.

 


Kópavogkirkja

The church is located at Borgarholt, a hill in the west of Kópavogur, just outside Reykjavik, which is protected from more development because of its unique nature. This is where people come not only to visit the beautiful church but also to seek tranquility and admire the views of Reykjavik. The church was designed by Ragnar Emilsson’s architectural office and was completed in 1963.

 


Beautiful glass arches

From the outside the facade’s glass arches may seem quite modest. But once inside the church they alone are well worth the visit. Even on a cloudy day the light shimmers through the hand -painted glass, created by Heinrich Oidtmann Brothers. They are Germany’s oldest manufacturer of stained glass and have supplied for the construction of the La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The arches are designed by the Icelandic sculptor Have Helgadóttur.

 


impressive stone block

Outside the main entrance, with a view toward Reykjavik, is a split stone of over 2.5 tons.
The observant will notice that the other half is found walled up as part of the church’s altar.
(See step above, right image).


Strandarkirkja

The church was built sometime during the 1100s. According to history, one stormy night a ship tried to return to the south coast of Iceland, notorious for its hidden reefs. The distressed sailors prayed to God for a safe path into the harbor, and promised that wherever they landed they would build a church.
 
As the story goes, an angel, seemingly made of light, suddenly appeared and led the ship to Engilsvík (Angel’s Cove). The sailors kept their promise and built a wooden church named Strandarkirkja on the site. The church has been credited for many miracles. Donations from across the country were sent here, with the hope of prayers and wishes being granted. For a time, Strandarkirkja was one of Iceland’s richest churches.

 


Landsýn watches over the cove

The statue, Landsýn, by Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir was unveiled during a Pentecost ceremony in 1950. It was dedicated to the then Bishop of Iceland, Sigurdsson Sigurgeir and depicts an angel watching over people in need. The statue is made of light granite and was sculpted in Norway.

 


Háteigskirkja

The Háteigs parish in Reykjavik was established on July 17, 1952, but was without a church of its own until Advent in 1965 when Háteigskirkja was inaugurated by Bishop Sigurbjörn Einarsson. The church is built of concrete and designed by architect Halldór H. Jónsson.

 


Altar of glass, gemstones and paper

Today’s altar was created after a competition in 1988, as the congregation wanted to replace the original that was not considered sufficiently spectacular. The winner was artist and sculptor Benedikt Gunnarsson whose work, Kórmyndin, pictures a cross against a background of the Holy Trinity.

The altarpiece measures 40 square meters and consists mainly of hand-cast mirror glass and colored Murano glass. It has been supplemented with various kinds of marble, semi-precious stones and paper made of gold and silver. The mosaic’s theme recurs in the gold-clad pillars 


Hallgrimskirkja

At 74.5 m above sea level, this church is Reykjavik’s obvious landmark. The architect, Guðjón Samuelsson, was inspired by Icelandic nature and wanted to emulate a structure of lava that has cooled after a volcanic eruption. Construction began in 1937 and it took a full 38 years for the church to be finished. Hallgrímskirkja has 1,000 seats and is named after the Icelandic priest and hymn writer, Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614-1674).

 


Proud statue

In front of the church stands a statue of Leifur Eiríksson, the famous viking who discovered America in the year 1000, almost five hundred years before Christopher Columbus. The statue was created by Alexander Stirling Calder and was donated in 1930 as a gift from the USA to celebrate the Althing’s thousand-year anniversary.

 


Mighty organ

The church organ was built by the Johannes Klais’ organ workshop in Bonn, Germany.  It was inaugurated in 1992 and is 15 m high, weighs 25 tons and has 5,275 pipes, of which the longest is 10 m. To raise money for the purchase of the organ, the public could pay for a pipe and have their name engraved. Visit the church during a worship service when the organ is used. You can feel when it is playing!
Lasse Olsson Photo photographs interiors, architecture and lighting. My newsletter is published 6-8 times a year. It presents photographed projects and reports from furniture fairs in Milan and Stockholm.