Reykjavík Cathedral
Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík
Reykjavík Cathedral is a small neoclassical church on Austurvöllur square in the heart of the capital, standing directly beside the Alþingi parliament building. Modest in scale compared with Hallgrímskirkja, it is nonetheless the seat of the Bishop of Iceland and the mother church of the national Evangelical Lutheran Church, still holding regular Sunday and midweek services.
Region
Reykjavík Capital Area
Coordinates
64.1467° N, 21.9393° W
Accessibility
- Limited mobility · Partial
- Flat, paved square outside, with a compact interior on a single level.
- Sensory · Partial
- Usually quiet on weekday mornings, busier during Sunday services, National Day events, and the parliamentary opening Mass.
- Cognitive · Full
- A single small nave with a simple, traditional layout.
Why it matters
The cathedral was built between 1787 and 1796 to a neoclassical design by Danish architect Andreas Kirkerup, and enlarged in 1847-48 to its present size. Since the Alþingi was re-established in 1845, each parliamentary session has opened with a Mass here, after which the dean of the cathedral leads members of parliament next door to the parliament house; the cathedral's bells and Sunday service are also part of Iceland's annual 17 June National Day observances. The building was restored under architect Þorsteinn Gunnarsson in 1999-2000, and its organ, built by the Karl Schuke workshop in Berlin, has three manuals and thirty-one stops.