Reykjavik is home to Hallgrímskirkja, a church whose tower rises 74.5 metres above the Icelandic capital.
The church is named after Hallgrímur Pétursson, a 17th-century Icelandic poet and minister best known for the Passion Hymns. Icelandic architect Guðjón Samúelsson designed the building, and construction began in 1945. The church was consecrated in 1986.
Its distinctive concrete form was inspired partly by Iceland’s landscapes, including basalt columns, glaciers, and mountains. The tall central tower makes Hallgrímskirkja one of Reykjavik’s most visible landmarks and a major orientation point in the city.
The interior contains a large pipe organ built by Johannes Klais of Bonn. In front of the church stands a statue of Leif Erikson, unveiled in 1930 to mark the thousandth anniversary of Iceland’s parliament, the Alþingi.