Kiruna Church

Last updated
Kiruna Church
Church of Kiruna 2011.jpg
Kiruna Church in 2011
Kiruna Church
67°51′7.2″N20°13′58.7″E / 67.852000°N 20.232972°E / 67.852000; 20.232972
Location Kiruna
Country Sweden
Denomination Church of Sweden
History
Consecrated 8 December 1912 (1912-12-08)
Administration
Diocese Luleå
Parish Jukkasjärvi

Kiruna Church (Swedish: Kiruna kyrka) is a church building in Kiruna, Sweden, and is one of Sweden's largest wooden buildings. The church was built between 1909 and 1912, designed by the architect Gustaf Wickman. The church exterior is built in a Gothic Revival style, while the altar is in Art Nouveau.

Contents

History

Interior of the church. Kiruna kyrka nave-altar.jpg
Interior of the church.

The church was built between 1909 and 1912, and consecrated by Bishop Olof Bergqvist on 8 December 1912. [1] Since 1913, the church has been included in the Jukkasjärvi parish in the diocese of Luleå. Gustaf Wickman was the church's architect and the famous altarpiece is a work of Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke.

Gustaf Wickman moved to Kiruna in 1899. Hjalmar Lundbohm, manager of LKAB and founder of the community, commissioned Wickman to design the church and town. The construction was primarily funded by LKAB Mining company. In order to ensure that everyone felt welcome in the church, Lundbohm did not use many symbols associated with Christianity. Bishop Olof Bergqvist, however, requested that the church be affiliated with Christianity. The Swedish sculptor Christian Eriksson made one cross for the entire building as a compromise. [2]

In 2001, Kiruna Church was voted the most popular pre-1950 building in Sweden, in a country-wide poll conducted by the Swedish Travelling Exhibitions, a government agency connected to the Ministry of Culture. [3] It is considered to be "the Shrine of the Nomadic people." [4]

Due to the expansion of the Kiruna Mine, the church is slated to be moved to a location adjacent to the cemetery in 2025 or 2026. [5]

Church building

One of Sweden's largest wooden buildings is Kiruna Church. The church's design has been significantly influenced by Sami huts and Norwegian stave churches. The building's exterior is neo-Gothic, the interior has national romanticism elements, and the altarpiece is Art Nouveau. Kiruna Church's plan was made up of simple forms in geometry. The building's plan displayed an open and spacious square design, with elevated and symmetrical triangular forms.

Exterior

The exterior features of the church possess a roof large enough to almost stretch to the ground. As the building is covered by a continuous shingle cladding, it is difficult to distinguish between the roof and walls. Kiruna Church reflects the possibilities of the carpentry industry by expressing elements of the Shingle Style. Christian Eriksson is the sculptor of the twelve gilded, cast bronze figures that ornament the roof. Eriksson's bronze sculptures are depictions of different emotional states.

Interior

Kiruna Church has a main nave and two side naves, with elaborate designed dormers. The main room of the church possesses gable windows, which provide plenty of natural light for the inside space. Colored panes towards the lower part of the interior creates a shady, obscure environment by the side aisles because it reduces the amount of light entering the space. Sami's ornamentation influenced the intricate woodwork and carved latticework of the choir design. Christian Eriksson made wooden sculptures that were free-standing and found inside the building.

An altarpiece called "The Holy Grove" was created by Prince Eugen for the church's interior. Situated as the focal point of the large painting is a depiction of a vast, limitless landscape.

Belfry

Built earlier than the church, the bell tower was constructed in 1906-07. [6] The tower is about 20 meters west of the church building and reflects influence from other bell towers in northern Sweden. Materials and color of the tower reflect the same as Kiruna Church.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiruna</span> Mining city in northern Sweden

Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality in Norrbotten County. The city was originally built in the 1890s to serve the Kiruna Mine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jukkasjärvi</span> Place in Lapland, Sweden

Jukkasjärvi is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 548 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated at 321 meters elevation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ytterlännäs old church</span> Historical church in Västernorrland County, Sweden

Old Church of Ytterlännäs is a 13th-century church building in Västernorrland County, Sweden. It is located between Nyland and Bollstabruk on the main road no. 333 in Kramfors Municipality. In terms of ecclesiastical divisions, the Ytterlännäs parish belonged to the Archdiocese of Uppsala in the Middle Ages, but has been part of the Diocese of Härnösand since that was formed in 1647.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hjalmar Lundbohm</span> Swedish geologist and chemist

Johan Olof Hjalmar Lundbohm was a Swedish geologist and chemist and the first managing director of LKAB in Kiruna. He made a strong contribution to the design of the new community of Kiruna in Lapland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umeå City Church</span> Church in Umeå, Sweden

Umeå City Church is a church building located in central Umeå, Sweden between Vänortsparken and the north bank of Ume River. It was inaugurated on 2 December 1894, which was First Advent Sunday that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anundsjö Church</span>

Anundsjö church is a church in the Diocese of Härnösand belonging to Anundsjö parish in the community of Bredbyn in Västernorrland County, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bro Church, Gotland</span> Church in Sweden

Bro Church is a medieval era Lutheran church at Bro on the Swedish island Gotland. Situated on what was possibly a pre-Christian sacred site, the presently visible church was built during the 13th century. Stylistically, its architecture shows a mix of Romanesque and Gothic elements. It still contains some medieval furnishings, including a baptismal font by Sigraf, and murals. The church belongs to the Väskinde parish in the Diocese of Visby of the Church of Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garde Church</span> Church in Sweden

Garde Church is a medieval church in Garde on the Swedish island of Gotland. It was built in stages during the Middle Ages. The oldest part is the nave and the base of the tower, while the most recently constructed part is the large chancel. A large renovation was carried out in the 1960s. Garde Church together with its cemetery and its four lychgates constitute one of the most well-preserved medieval church ensembles in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lye Church</span> Church in Sweden

Lye Church is a medieval church on Gotland, Sweden. The oldest parts of the church date from the last quarter of the 12th century, and the last major addition was the disproportionately large chancel, built during the second quarter of the 14th century by a workshop known by its notname as Egypticus. The workshop was also responsible for constructing the largest of the church portals, which is also decorated with Gothic stone sculpture. The tower portal contains sculptures attributed to the Romanesque sculptor Sigraf. The church has been little altered since the end of the Middle Ages. Lye Church contains the largest preserved set of medieval stained glass windows in the Nordic countries, and its interior is also decorated by medieval wall paintings, uncovered in the 1950s. The altarpiece is from 1496, and the church also contains a triumphal cross from the same period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everlöv Church</span> Church in Sweden

Everlöv Church is a medieval Lutheran church built in the Romanesque style. Located some 14 km (8.7 mi) southwest of Sjöbo in southern Sweden, it belongs to the Diocese of Lund. The church is noted for the many murals which decorate the vaulted ceilings in the nave and the chancel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karesuando Church</span> Church in Karesuando, Sweden

The Karesuando Church is a wooden church building in Karesuando, Sweden. Belonging to the Karesuando Parish of the Church of Sweden. It was inaugurated on 3 December 1905 by Bishop Olof Bergqvist of the Diocese of Luleå., replacing an older church. The church is the northernmost in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Färlöv Church</span> Church in Sweden

Färlöv Church is a medieval Lutheran church in Färlöv in the province of Scania, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Lund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tisselskog Church</span> Church in Västra Götaland County, Sweden

Tisselskog Church belongs to the Steneby-Tisselskogs parish in the Diocese of Karlstad, Sweden. The church is located on a hill about 2 km (1.2 mi) north of Lake Råvarpen, a part of the Dalsland Canal. Approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) south of the church is a former clergy house, built in 1935. In the south part of the grave yard is a mourge built in the 1940s and a storage house built in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dals-Långed Church</span> Church in Västra Götaland County, Sweden

Dals-Långed Church belongs to the Steneby-Tisselskogs parish in the Diocese of Karlstad, Sweden. The church is in the locality of Dals Långed in the Bengtsfors Municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norrby Church</span> Church in Norrby, Sweden

Norrby Church is located in Sala Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden. The church is situated on the eastern banks of the Sagån River. Norrby parish is in the Diocese of Västerås of the Church of Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rasbokil Church</span>

Rasbokil Church is a medieval church located north-east of Uppsala in Uppsala County, Sweden. It is part of the Archdiocese of Uppsala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jäder Church</span> Church in Södermanland County, Sweden

Jäder Church, Swedish: Jäders kyrka, is a church building in the village of Jäder, Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden, approximately 10 km east of Eskilstuna. Belonging to the Lutheran Church of Sweden, it is part of Kafjärden Parish in the Diocese of Strängnäs. Until 1995, it was the main church of the historical Jäder Parish.

Art Nouveau temples are churches, chapels, synagogues, and mosques built in the style known as Art Nouveau in French and English languages, Jugendstil in Germany and Nordic countries, Secessionsstil in countries of former Austro-Hungary, Modernisme in Catalan, Modern in Russian, Stile Liberty or Stile Floreale in Italian. As National Romantic style is also referred to Art Nouveau, churches of that style are also listed here, as well as some temples not of pure Art Nouveau style but with distinctive Art Nouveau features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asmundtorp Church</span> Church in Sweden

Asmundtorp Church is a church in Asmundtorp, Landskrona Municipality, Skåne, Sweden. The current neo-Gothic church was built in 1895–1897 and replaced a medieval church on the same site. Designed by architect Gustaf Hermansson, it is one of the most accomplished examples of 19th-century church architecture in Skåne. It contains a medieval bronze baptismal font of northern German origin, the only one of its kind in the province. The church belongs to the Church of Sweden and is in the Diocese of Lund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaxholm Church</span> Church in Stockholm County, Sweden

Vaxholm Church is a church in central Vaxholm, Sweden. The chapel is a single-nave building built in the Neoclassical style. It was completed in 1803 according to drawings by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz and Olof Tempelman. It replaced an earlier wooden church in Vaxholm.

References

  1. ↑ "Kiruna kyrka" (in Swedish). Jukkasjärvi Parish. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Kiruna Lappland. “Kiruna Church,” n.d. https://kirunalapland.se/en/kiruna-church/.
  3. ↑ Kiruna kyrka firar 100 år hela året, Norrländska Socialdemokraten 25 May 2012, retrieved 11 August 2013 (in Swedish)
  4. ↑ "The Best Cathedrals in Sweden". www.frommers.com. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  5. ↑ "Kiruna Kyrka, Stadsomvandling" (in Swedish). Kiruna Kommun. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Bedoire, Fredric. Kiruna Kyrka. Almquist & Wiksell Stockholm, 1973. https://pub.raa.se/dokumentation/4b6f2fcf-4d48-4157-a690-a7d6773b90ea/original/1.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Kiruna Church at Wikimedia Commons


Riddarholmskyrkan01.jpg

This article about a church building or other Christian place of worship in Sweden is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.