Friday, July 17, 2009

Assembly Required


This is not a Photoshopped building. It is the real thing. State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson's design of this church building was commissioned in 1937. It took 38 years to build the church. Construction work began in 1945 and ended in 1986, the landmark tower being completed long before the church's actual completion. The crypt beneath the choir was consecrated in 1948, the steeple and wings were completed in 1974. The nave was consecrated in 1986. It is situated in the center of Reykjavík, Iceland, and is visible throughout the city. It has become one of city's best known landmarks.
The Great Architect, the One who builds His Church with living stones,
is completely unimpressed with what man can do.
The one true Church will always be the Elect of God…
and always remember, some assembly is required.

Another view of the same church building.

(click on the first photo to "magnify the building")

4 comments:

  1. The statue out front is of Liefer Eriksson...not Superman. That's all I know. I am not sure of the connection. If someone knows, then please inform us.

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  2. The US (yep, you guys) gave the statue to Iceland in 1930 to celebrate the 1000 year anniversary of it's government (Althingi). Leif the Lucky, as he was also known, is believed to have been the first European to have landed in North America (Vinland, probably Newfoundland). He was also a Christian. So, there's some connections in all that between the US and Iceland and the church. The giant axe he bears, presumably, was just for harvesting all the grapes they found in Vinland... I live in north Iceland. If you like, you can visit my web-site to see some more photos of Iceland, and check out a bit of life here (on the lighter side :)

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  3. Thanks for the needed mini-documentary! We all learned something today.

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  4. You're welcome. And you don't even need to send me a toaster (unless you send me a dead armadillo, but then I would have to send you a lightly-smoked singed sheep's head).

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