At the heart of Reykjavik sits HallgrÃmskirkja, the island’s largest church (I want to call it a cathedral but it is not) and its second tallest building (74.5 metres/244 ft). Named after a famous Icelandic poet and clergyman, HallgrÃmur Pétursson, construction on this Protestant Lutheran church began in 1945 and was completed in 1986.
The church was deisgned to resemble the nature that Iceland is famous for: glaciers, mountains and columnar basalt formations. Looking at it from the front, it is easy to see the resemblance. The façade in particular resembles the basalt columns known as “organ pipes” in places such as Svartifoss and KálfshamarsvÃk.
Another draw of the church is its height; Reykjavik does not have many tall buildings, so the view from the observation tower offers (I am told) some amazing sights over the city and the surrounding ocean, mountains and valleys. Unfortunately on the day that we went, HallgrÃmskirkja was closed for a private ceremony and then a concert, so we were not able to enter the church. It is somewhere that is on my list to go back to next time!
Out front of the church is also Leif Erikson, the Norse explorer who is believed to be the first European to have arrived in North America.
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