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Time Out Magazine has ranked Reykjavík’s Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral as the second most beautiful building in the world, surpassed only by India’s Taj Mahal. This recognition places Iceland’s most iconic landmark alongside architectural wonders like Petra, Fallingwater, and the Pyramids of Giza.
A vision born from Iceland’s landscape
Hallgrímskirkja is more than a church. It is a concrete poem dedicated to Iceland’s rugged natural beauty. Designed by state architect Guðjón Samúelsson in 1937, construction began in 1945 and wasn’t completed until 1986. Samúelsson drew inspiration from the basalt column formations found in Icelandic lava fields. The church’s bold, sweeping façade mimics cooling lava flow, giving it a sense of both movement and permanence.
As Time Out writer Liv Kelly describes, Hallgrímskirkja “might look like a rocket, but it is in fact a striking Evangelical-Lutheran church.” Its sloping white concrete columns not only blend into Reykjavík’s volcanic landscape but also rise dramatically toward the sky, making the structure visible from almost anywhere in the city.
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A Tribute to Faith and Art
Hallgrímskirkja is named after Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson. He is the author of the beloved Passion Hymns. The cathedral serves as a spiritual and cultural symbol. It is also an active parish church, holding services every Sunday and on holidays.
Inside, the church is minimalist and serene, its stark walls leading the eye toward a magnificent 15-meter-high pipe organ. Built by Johannes Klais of Bonn, Germany, the organ boasts over 5,000 pipes and is used in concerts that resonate throughout the soaring nave.
A Tower Above the City
Hallgrímskirkja’s tower is open to visitors and offers some of the best panoramic views in Reykjavík. From its observation deck, you can see the capital’s colorful rooftops, the Atlantic Ocean, and, on clear days, the glacier Snæfellsjökull in the distance. In front of the church is a statue of explorer Leifur Eiriksson.
As Reykjavík’s skyline evolves, Hallgrímskirkja remains a fixed point of reference—architecturally daring, spiritually grounding, and endlessly photogenic.
Whether you’re admiring it from Skólavörðustígur or hearing the organ reverberate through its walls, Hallgrímskirkja continues to capture the imagination.
