Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland

by ElHefe

The Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík. At 74.5 metres it’s the largest church in Iceland and it is named after the Icelandic poet Hallgrímur Pétursson. The church took 41 years to build, from 1945 till 1986.The modern Nordic design of Hallgrímskirkja is work of state architect Gu?jón Samúelsson.







Church is also used as an observation tower. An observer can take a lift up to the viewing deck and view Reykjavík and the surrounding mountains.
The statue of explorer Leif Eriksson (970 – 1020) by Alexander Stirling Calder in front of the church predates its construction. It was a gift from the United States in honor of the 1930 Al?ingi Millennial Festival, commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Iceland’s parliament at ?ingvellir in 930 AD.



The church houses a large pipe organ by the German organ builder Johannes Klais from Bonn. It has mechanical action, four manuals and pedal, 102 ranks, 72 stops and 5275 pipes. It’s 15 metres tall and weighs 25 tons. Construction was finished in December 1992.



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