Kiruna Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kiruna Church |
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Kiruna Church in 2011
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| 67°51′7.2″N 20°13′58.7″E / 67.852000°N 20.232972°E | |
| Location | Kiruna |
| Country | Sweden |
| Denomination | Church of Sweden |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 8 December 1912 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Jukkasjärvi |
| Diocese | Luleå |
Kiruna Church, known as Kiruna kyrka in Swedish, is a special church building in Kiruna, Sweden. It's one of the biggest wooden buildings in all of Sweden! This church was built between 1909 and 1912. A famous architect named Gustaf Wickman designed it. The outside of the church looks like the old Gothic Revival style, but the altar inside has a more modern Art Nouveau look.
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History of Kiruna Church
The church was built between 1909 and 1912. It was officially opened by Bishop Olof Bergqvist on December 8, 1912. Since 1913, it has been part of the Jukkasjärvi parish in the diocese of Luleå.
Gustaf Wickman was the architect who designed the church. The beautiful altarpiece inside was created by Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke, who was also a talented artist.
Gustaf Wickman moved to Kiruna in 1899. Hjalmar Lundbohm, who was the manager of the LKAB mining company and helped start the Kiruna community, asked Wickman to design both the church and the town. The mining company, LKAB, paid most of the costs for building the church.
Lundbohm wanted everyone to feel welcome in the church. So, he didn't use many symbols that were only linked to Christianity. However, Bishop Olof Bergqvist wanted the church to clearly show its Christian connection. As a compromise, the Swedish sculptor Christian Eriksson made just one cross for the whole building.
In 2001, Kiruna Church was voted the most popular building in Sweden built before 1950. This was in a national poll run by the Swedish Travelling Exhibitions, a government group. Many people think of it as "the Shrine of the Nomadic people."
Because the Kiruna Mine is expanding, the church needs to be moved. It is planned to be relocated next to the cemetery in 2025 or 2026.
Design of Kiruna Church
Kiruna Church is one of Sweden's largest buildings made of wood. Its design was greatly influenced by traditional Sami huts and Norwegian stave churches. The outside of the church has a neo-Gothic style, while the inside shows elements of national romanticism. The altarpiece is in the Art Nouveau style.
The church's overall shape is made of simple geometric forms. It has an open and spacious square design, with tall, symmetrical triangular shapes.
Exterior Features
The outside of the church has a very large roof that almost reaches the ground. The entire building is covered with continuous wooden shingles. This makes it hard to tell where the roof ends and the walls begin. The church's design, with its shingle covering, shows off what was possible with carpentry at the time.
Christian Eriksson also created twelve gilded (gold-covered) bronze figures. These figures decorate the roof of the church. Each of Eriksson's bronze sculptures shows a different human emotion.
Interior Features
Inside, Kiruna Church has a main nave (the central part) and two side naves. These areas have beautifully designed dormers (windows that stick out from the roof). The main room of the church has gable windows, which let in lots of natural light.
However, the lower parts of the side aisles have colored window panes. These panes reduce the light, creating a shadier, more mysterious feeling in those areas. The detailed woodwork and carved latticework in the choir (the area around the altar) were inspired by Sami decorations. Christian Eriksson also made wooden sculptures that stand freely inside the church.
Prince Eugen created a special altarpiece for the church's interior, called "The Holy Grove." This large painting shows a vast, endless landscape as its main focus.
The Bell Tower
The bell tower of Kiruna Church was built even earlier than the church itself, between 1906 and 1907. This tower stands about 20 meters west of the main church building. Its design is similar to other bell towers found in northern Sweden. The materials and colors used for the tower match those of Kiruna Church.
