Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran Church

Hallgrímskirkja Llutheran Church

Reykjavik, Iceland

"Hallgrímskirkja (Icelandic pronunciation: ​[ˈhatlkrimsˌcʰɪrca], church of Hallgrímur) is a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 74,5 metres high (244 ft), it is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in Iceland. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614-1674), author of the Passion Hymns.

Interior Sanctuary

"Situated in the centre of Reykjavík, it is one of the city's best-known landmarks and is visible throughout the city. State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson's design of the church was commissioned in 1937. He is said to have designed it to resemble the trap rocks, mountains and glaciers of Iceland's landscape.^[3][4] The design is similar in style to the expressionist architecture of Grundtvig's Church of Copenhagen, Denmark, completed in 1940.

"It took 41 years to build the church: construction started in 1945 and ended in 1986, but the landmark tower being completed long before the whole church was completed. The crypt beneath the choir was consecrated in 1948, the steeple and wings were completed in 1974,^[4] and the nave was consecrated in 1986.^[1] At the time of construction, the building was criticized as too old-fashioned and as a blend of different architectural styles.^[5] The church was originally intended to be less tall, but the leaders of the Church of Iceland wanted a large spire so as to outshine Landakotskirkja (Landakot's Church), which was the cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland.^[5]

"The interior is 1,676 square metres. In 2008, the church underwent a major restoration of the main tower, and was covered in scaffolding. In late 2009, restoration was completed and the scaffolding was removed.

"The church houses a large pipe organ by the German organ builder Johannes Klais of Bonn. It has electronic action; the pipes are remote from the four manuals and pedal console. There are 102 ranks, 72 stops and 5275 pipes.^[1] It is 15 metres tall and weighs 25 tons. Its construction was finished in December 1992. It has been recorded by Christopher Herrick in his Organ Fireworks VII CD and by Mattias Wager on his CD Live at Vatnajökull." (Link)

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Photo: Taken  July 2017 by friend Nina Reiniger while on a trip to Iceland with 

                her New York City choir, the New Amsterdam Singers.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmskirkja

Ásólfsskálakirkja in Iceland.

 Icelandic Lutheran Church
Asolfsskali, Iceland

"Asolfsskali is a farm and a church site at the foothills of Mts. Eyjafjoll (The Island Mountains). According to The Book of Settlements, an Irish Christian, Asolfur alskik arrived in Iceland and built his lodgings there first. The stream running past his dwellings abounded in trout and char immediately after his settlement. Thorgeir Bardarson, the ruler of the area, became aware of this and drove Asolfur away out of spite and envy. Asolfur moved further west and a nearby stream yielded no less catch than the first one. Again, Thorgeir drove him away and he moved still further west, where the same happened. This time he had to leave Þorgeir?s domain and Asolfur moved to the farm Ytri-Holmur on the Akranes Peninsula in the West, where he became a hermit. " (Link 2.) 

" You see buildings like this all over Iceland. The walls are corrugated aluminium, painted white, covering driftwood (there are almost no trees on the island). The roof, more aluminium, is red...,600 × 1,200"  (Link 1.)

Tour Poster

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Photo: Taken  July 2017 by friend Nina Reiniger while on a trip to Iceland with 
               her New York City choir, the New Amsterdam Singers.
Link 1: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Icelandic_Lutheran_church.jpg
Link 2:  https://beiceland.is/asolfsskalakirkja-church