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Domkirkjan is Reykjavik’s Lutheran Cathedral (aka the Reykjavik Dome) and the bishop’s place in Iceland. It’s located downtown, next to the Alþingi, house of parliament. Plan a stop to visit Domkirkjan’s beautiful altarpiece, history and artwork!
Domkirkja – or Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík as it is more often referred to in Iceland – is located in one of the city’s main public squares, Austurvöllur.
The area has been a church site since around the 13th century. However, the church you see today was originally built at the end of the 18th century.
The end of the 18th century was when the episcopate seat of Skalholt was moved to the capital. At this point, Iceland became one diocese, before there were two.
To be able to work on the church throughout the summer, with no delays, the material was transported to the building site in the winter of 1788. Nothing was to stand in the way of the building of the cathedral.
To be able to work on the church throughout the summer, with no delays, the material was transported to the building site in the winter of 1788. Nothing was to stand in the way of the building of the cathedral.
Danish handy-men were brought in to help with the project but proceedings were slow due to a lot of drinking on the part of the builders. This resulted in a lot of repairs needed – and even a further discovery of the original wood was rotten from the start!
Nonetheless, the Domkirkjan was inaugurated in the year 1796. It was the first building to be finished under the idea that Reykjavík was to become the capital of Iceland. The altarpiece was established much later.
It was painted in 1847 by G. T. Wegener of the Royal Danish Academy of Art. It was later decorated with a wine of silver and Icelandic agate by the silversmith, Halldór Kristinsson.
The baptismal font is designed by the Danish-Icelandic sculptor Albert Thorvaldsen who did most of his work in the Italian city of Rome. The processional cross was a gift given to Dómkirkjan during its recent bicentenary.
The cross is designed by Leifur Breiðfjörð, an Icelandic glass artist. The organ boasts three manuals and thirty-one independent voices was made in the year 1985 by Karl Schuke in Berlin. So, it is very evident that the church has taken a long time to be completed.
A little less than a century after the church was raised the house of parliament was built right next to it. Since then these two buildings have made up a whole and been the figure of laws and customs in the country.
Many important events take place in the Dómkirkja including the official mass taken by the congressmen at the first day back to parliament, the statement of a new president and the Christmas mass broadcasted and listened to all over the country.
Dómkirkjan is the seat of the bishop in Iceland and a place where he does most of his work. Domkirkjan is the mother church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland as well as being the parish church of the older city center of Reykjavík.
Dómkirkjan is located at Austurvöllur square downtown Reykjavík right behind the house of parliament. Nearby streets are Pósthússtræti, Vonarstræti, Thorvalsenstræti, Templarasund and Kirkjustræti.
More likely to be recognized are the famous neighboring streets of Lækjargata and Austurstæti, Bankastræti and Laugavegur.
GPS coordinates of Dómkirkjan: 64.1467° N, 21.9394° W
Dómkirkjan can easily be reached on foot from anywhere downtown Reykjavík. There a quite a few busses that stop near Dómirkjan the closest are 1, 3, 6, 11, 12, 13 and 14.
The Reykjavík Domkirkja is located downtown at the best stop in town. All around it you will find accommodation and hotel options.
Where you end up staying depends on how you wish to spend the night; at a hotel, a hostel, an Airbnb, a guesthouse or maybe even camp. We suggest browsing the web comparing your options.
Here will we list the best rated, nearby accommodation options:
Hotels
Guesthouses, B&Bs and Apartments
