The Hallgrímskirkja is a landmark with an almost 75 m high tower; in addition, the building stands on a hill. It is an Evangelical Lutheran parish church. The Byzantine-like depictions of the archangels Gabriel and Michael by Kirstin Gunnlaugsdottir and a stained glass window in which Mary and child are worshipped provide a Roman Catholic counterpoint that is to be welcomed in times of ecumenism. Looking back, it somehow reminded me of the Lord Jesus Christ's Resurrection Basilica (Lithuanian: Kauno mūsų Viešpaties Jėzaus Kristaus Prisikėlimo bazilika) [2] in Kaunas, Lithuania. This church initially seemed Protestant to me due to its architecture and interior. Its architecture belongs to the Kaunas architecture of the interwar period [3], which reminds me of the expressionist style of the Hallgrímskirkja. In both churches you can climb the tower or take an elevator up, and in both cases you get a magnificent view.
The planning for Hallgrímskirkja dates back to 1929, but construction only began after World War II and was not finished until 1986. Guðjón Samúelsson (1887–1950) [4] designed the church. The name of the church goes back to Hallgrímur Pétursson [5] and the church was consecrated on the 312th anniversary of his death; it was also the 200th anniversary of the city of Reykjavik. Hallgrímur lived in the 17th century and is today one of the most famous Icelandic poets. Although he dropped out of theology, he became an Evangelical Lutheran pastor. He is known for his psalm poetry and his songs are still sung today. He is often compared to Paul Gerhardt, about whose song “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” I wrote somethig just yesterday [6].
Hallgrímskirkja is a hall church with a dominant nave and two side aisles. It has hardly any stained glass and is perhaps therefore very bright, which can be an advantage in the winter months, but could be the opposite in the summer months. I visited the church during November and it was pleasantly bright. The church is not east-facing; the entrance to the church faces southwest.
Since December 1992, the church has had a concert organ made by the Johannes Klais Orgelbau company in Bonn - I have already admired several of their organs. The company operates worldwide. The organ has four manuals and pedals as well as 5275 pipes and 72 registers. The organ is about 15 meters high and weighs 25 tons. It is by far the largest organ in Iceland. Unfortunately, I can't say anything about the sound, because work was being done in the church and the shrill sounds of the drill still echo in my ears.
The three bells are called Hallgrímur, Guðríður and Steinunn. Guðríður was the name of Hallgrímur's wife. Steinunn was the name of the couple's daughter, who died at the age of four. The bells also include a 29-bell carillon.
The church is worth a visit, but that's why there are so many tourists there.
Links and Annotations:
[1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmskirkja and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmskirkja also https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmskirkja but the text in Icelandic is very short.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ%27s_Resurrection_Church,_Kaunas and https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christi_Auferstehung_(Kaunas) I still haven't written about this basilica.
[3] https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauno_modernizmo_architekt%C5%ABra
[4] Guðjón Samúelsson (16 April 1887 – 25 April 1950) was a State Architect of Iceland, who also planned the Akureyrarkirkja in the north Icelandic town of Akureyri. His work is said to be influenced by Icelandic geology, like the Svartifoss basalt columns. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%B0j%C3%B3n_Sam%C3%BAelsson and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%B0j%C3%B3n_Sam%C3%BAelsson
[5] Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614-1674): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmur_P%C3%A9tursson
[6] LYRIK-Taschenkalender 2014 04./05. KW 08.01.2024
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2025/01/lyrik-taschenkalender-2014-0405-kw.html
More About Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gerhardt
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