Hallgrímskirkja

The church was designed by the architect Guðjón Samúelsson. It is supposed to resemble the volcanic basalt rock formations which can be found and seen all over Iceland. The church was built in over 40 years and finally opened in 1986. The church gets it name “Hallgrímskirkja” after the reverend and hymn writer Hallgrímur Pétursson. The name means “The church of Hallgrímur”

Hallgrímskirkja is 74.5 m high, Icelands largest church and its Reykjavík’s main landmark, the church towers can be seen from almost everywhere in the city.

The church is famous for the organ it houses. The German organ builder Johannes Klais made the organ, it has four manuals and pedal, mechanical action, 72 stops, 102 ranks and 5275 pipes. It weighs around 25 tons and is 15 m. high.

A statue of the Icelander “Leif the Lucky” (Leifur Eiríksson) stands in front of the church. Leifur was the first European to discover America, around 1000 A.D.

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