# Kiruna Church

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.

## History

The church was built between 1909 and 1912, and consecrated by Bishop Olof Bergqvist on 8 December 1912. 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.
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. It is considered to be "the Shrine of the Nomadic people."
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.

## 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. 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.