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The first of two articles from the Editor in Iceland
Hallgrimskirkja dominates Reykjavik -- as it was intended to do! It is not simply that the church stands on virtually the only hill in Reykjavik; all other buildings in the city are deliberately limited in size -- there are no tower blocks or offices -- allowing the church to dominate the skyline as St Paul's once did London.
Close to, the church has space enough around it to allow the visitor to indulge in its overpowering presence before entering. The double doors are deliberately low and the visitor has to cross an entrance hall with an equally low roof before emerging into the nave beneath the gallery holding the Klais organ. By dint of its design, the organ appears to be floating free from the walls of the church rather than attached to them. This, with the superb sense of light and space, counteracts the immense height of both the nave and the organ itself.
It is the largest church in Iceland with a seating capacity of 1200 in the nave. It was under construction longer than any other building in Iceland and Hallgrimur Petursson (1614-1674), Iceland's most beloved poet, was soon linked to the plans for the proposed church.
Commissioned in 1937State Architect Gudjon Samuelsson (1887-1950) was commissioned to design the Hallgrims church in 1937. He aimed to create a style of national architecture in the same manner as...