A View from the Top: The Majesty of Hallgrímskirkja

Keeping watch over Reykjavík, Hallgrímskirkja is Iceland's largest church and one of the tallest buildings in the country- towering at 244 feet. One of the city's main focal points, it can help you orient yourself as you explore downtown Reykjavík!

Construction was completed in 1986, after 41 years of construction. 

The church stands strong and tall. While it has with a very modern, stark feeling to it, it also pays tribute to Iceland's otherworldly natural phenomenons. It's shapes and form are a homage to the country's basalt lava flows, glaciers, and mountains. 

There was some criticism from the public on the blend of architectural styles. Criticism ranging from "too old-fashioned" to "too expressionist". 

Whether this church is your style or not, Hallgrímskirkja is surely a sight at which to marvel.

I visited Hallgrimskirka on an Icelandic holiday, Commerce Day, so naturally I was surrounded by a lot of other visitors.

I turn my headphones up and choose to listen to Slow Meadow, a calming atmospheric band, in an attempt to tune out the crowd and have a meditative experience.

Even as I walk in, the stark enormity of the church begins to overwhelm. The crowd bottlenecks at the entrance, as well as the vestibule where the line for the elevator is. I push past, trying to find a more secluded spot.

Once inside, I feel like I have taken a clean, deep inhale.

The feeling of the church completely opens up. It shifts from immovable, grey, and harsh to soft, sweeping, and filled with light.

I feel small, but not the insignificant feeling I've had in churches in Venice, Florence, and Madrid. This church is not gold plated, ornate, or self-serving. 

Instead, it remains open to the visitor. It is humble. It is a place for the people. 

I sense a real tenderness in this building, and it comforts me in a way I did not expect I had been longing for.

By the entrance, a poem by Swedish author Bo Setterlind is printed alongside tea candles that visitors are encouraged to light.

"Do not let the darkness prevent you from seeking the light!

And when you have found it, let other people see,  rethink and be convinced.

If you want the light to live, then give rise to the same yearning in other people.

Light the light of frankness in the darkness of fear,
light the light of justice in the darkness of corruption,
light the light of faith in the darkness of denial,
light the light of hope in the darkness of despair,
light the light of love in the darkness of death.
Light the Light!"

~ Bo Setterlind

I found this was a beautiful way to enter guests into the church and to set an introspective, hopeful, and convicting tone. 

I take a seat in the pews to soak up the energy of this powerful church before I head to the elevator to experience the view from the observation tower. 

There is a line and the elevator is small. There are at least 150 people wandering around the church at the moment- and the elevator can hold just 6 people at a time. 

My turn arrives. The elevator takes me up 8 floors where the large clocks of Hallgrímskirkja tick and tock. 

Another 3 set of stairs takes me to the very top of the church. 

Peering over the edge of the 224-foot Icelandic church- I am gifted an impressive view of Reykjavík. 

I hear it's voice differently now- it's softer and more kind. I no longer feel the rush of people darting here and there. I feel significantly more tranquil, writing in my sketchbook the poem from inside the church. 

"Do not let the darkness prevent you from seeking the light! And when you have found it, let other people see,  rethink and be convinced. If you want the light to live, then give rise to the same yearning in other people."