mik morrisey
Hallgrímskirkja
There are some buildings which do not expect to get upstaged and Hallgrímskirkja is one of them; for Reykjavík is by and large, a city of sensible, levelheaded structures, and the Hallgrímskirkja has had plenty of time to get used to its best dressed, top model, status. In a climate where it is only prudent to construct quickly during the summer months a structure which takes 41 years to build is a rarity. In a country where for centuries house building was limited due to the scarcity of trees for timber it seems almost immodest that a Lutheran church should be such a gorgeous stunner.
The architect Guðjón Samúelsson was inspired by Iceland’s natural beauty, by the drama of basalt lava flows, by the majesty of mountains. Who can tell perhaps he might even have imagined the evenings when this spiky nouveau beauty would be complimented by a gang of colourful, rambunctious, fluffy clouds. I’m sure that every time it happens people see the Hallgrímskirkja as if for the first time. It happened on August 26th and Mik was there to witness it.
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