Overview
About Akureyrarkirkja
Concrete, light and carved images
The protected concrete church was built in 1938–1940 and consecrated on 17 November 1940. Its towers narrow upwards in a sequence of flat steps, while the exterior has a crushed-stone finish. Inside, an illuminated cross covered with Iceland spar hangs between the nave and chancel. Reliefs by Ásmundur Sveinsson depict episodes from the life of Jesus. Later stained-glass windows combine biblical scenes with events from Icelandic church history, giving the interior a narrative as well as a decorative function.
The story of the English window
The older window above the altar was installed in 1943 after being acquired through an antiques dealer. A familiar story claimed that it had been rescued from Coventry Cathedral before wartime destruction. Research presented in 2014 challenged that account, finding that the glass came from another English church, probably in London. The revised account preserves the window's importance while distinguishing its documented journey from the much-loved Coventry story. The friendship between the two congregations continued despite the correction.
Article reviewed .
