Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland

Since Reykjavik is a very small capital you really can walk to Hallgrímskirkja on foot. And hence it’s so huge you probably see the tip of it from every point of the city. Interesting how the Icelandic people deal with religion. Surely it means a great deal to the people if you live on a cold rock with nothing on but ice. But with their special and awkwardly great sense for style and design they have set their mark even on the architecture of sacred places.

Since Reykjavik is a very small capital you really can walk to Hallgrímskirkja on foot. And hence it’s so huge you probably see the tip of it from every point of the city. Interesting how the Icelandic people deal with religion. Surely it means a great deal to the people if you live on a cold rock with nothing on but ice. But with their special and awkwardly great sense for style and design they have set their mark even on the architecture of sacred places.

Perfect example for this is the Hallgrímskirkja: a rocket-like church made of concrete. It took 40 years to build it and to become one of the largest buildings of the whole country. It was opened 1986 and is the symbol of the city today. The tower is 73 metres tall and gives a great view about large parts of the island, hence it’s build on one of the biggest hills of the city. What it makes so special is the look of tectonic plates in his facade. It’s a rough allegory of what happens in the ocean everyday: parts of the ground move onto each-other and break. It is composed by hundreds of concrete pillars, which makes it a perfect place for free-climbers. Oh…I should watch my mouth…this is blasphemy! The name goes back to the Icelandic poet and priest Hallgrímur Pétursson. Inside of the church it’s really bright, due to the many mighty windows, and nonetheless it is a modern gothic style.

written by wil6ka on 2009-02-04 #places #religion #urban #church #historic #location #architecute #iceland