Akureyri Church
A long stairway extends from the city center up to this bravura concrete church, whose Art Deco twin spires have drawn mixed critical responses but rarely fail to make a durable impression. The hilltop location, face-forward design, and beckoning, outstretched spires lend the frontal exterior a Batman-like animal vitality. The church was consecrated in 1940 and designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, the state architect responsible for the even larger Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík. However distinctive his bold geometric outlines, Guðjón's signature is just as evident in the fine details, such as the basalt-inspired hexagonal columns above the doorway, and the obsessive tiering in the ceiling, archways, and surrounding lawn. Make sure to inspect the lovely tile work in Iceland spar -- a native crystal used to make light prisms -- on the pulpit and the illuminated cross hanging from the ceiling. The midsection of the stained glass window directly behind the altar was originally in England's Coventry Cathedral, bombarded in World War II and now a ruined shell.
A long stairway extends from the city center up to this bravura concrete church, whose Art Deco twin spires have drawn mixed critical responses but rarely fail to make a durable impression. The hilltop location, face-forward design, and beckoning, outstretched spires lend the frontal exterior a Batman-like animal vitality. The church was consecrated in 1940 and designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, the state architect responsible for the even larger Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík. However distinctive his bold geometric outlines, Guðjón's signature is just as evident in the fine details, such as the basalt-inspired hexagonal columns above the doorway, and the obsessive tiering in the ceiling, archways, and surrounding lawn. Make sure to inspect the lovely tile work in Iceland spar -- a native crystal used to make light prisms -- on the pulpit and the illuminated cross hanging from the ceiling. The midsection of the stained glass window directly behind the altar was originally in England's Coventry Cathedral, bombarded in World War II and now a ruined shell.
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