Reykjavik, Iceland church

Church…yes, it is a church, but what a church.

(Here in Iceland the word for church is kirk.)

This is a Hallgrimskirkja.

 

Aside: At first Hallgrimskirkja is difficult to spell, but if you break it down into sections…”hall” “grims” “kirk””ja”…it does become easier to spell. However, saying it! Well I am still having trouble with that. Hence the title of this article…Iceland church.

Hint: You can click on any photo to enlarge it.

Take a closer look at the statue in front of the church. (Enlarge the photo to see it better.)

A gift from the United States. it is a statue of  Leif Eriksson.

Now, I did remember that name from history books, so I assumed it was in honor of Eriksson’s exploration into the New World…but, no. It was a gift to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of Iceland’s parliament at Pingvellir. (That is not a typo…it really is 1000.)

You can read more about Pingvellir by clicking here.

You can see the top of the church quite easily from many spots in Reykjavik. The great height of the steeple is further enhanced by the fact that the church is at the top of a hill.

If you look at Hallgrimskirkja from the side it has a traditional look (in my opinion).

But looking at the striking tower head on, it is anything but traditional. It is what they call expressionist architecture.

My first thought…a rocket ship heading towards the heavens. We learned that the architect designed it to resemble the basalt lava flows that one sees all around Iceland.

Aside: Once you have had the opportunity to travel around Iceland a bit you can understand where the inspiration came from. 

So, now, let’s go inside.

Quite breath taking, isn’t it.

Concerts of all kinds are held here at Hallgrimskirkja…Iceland’s largest church.

 

Let’s visit some other highlights of Iceland.

To tour Reykjavik, click here.

To visit Pingvellir (Thingvellir), click here.

To visit another Icelandic church, click here.

To visit the geyser, click here.

To visit a special exhibition at Harpa, click here.

and/or

Visit other pats of the world…click here.

Happy travels!