Arctic Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The Tromsdalen
Church (Tromsdalen Kirke), which is more commonly known as The Arctic Cathedral (Ishavskatedralen, literally "The Cathedral of the Arctic Sea"), is a church in Tromsø
, Norway
, built in 1965. The church is a parish church and not, in fact, a cathedral
.
The church was designed by Jan Inge Hovig
, and its building materials consist mainly of concrete
. Because of the church's distinct look and situation, it has often been called "the opera house
of Norway", likening it to the famous Sydney Opera House
in Sydney
, Australia
. The church is probably the most famous landmark in Tromsø, although Tromsø does have another church of interest, the Tromsø Cathedral
, which is noted for being the only wooden cathedral
in Norway.
In 1972 it got a glass mosaic added to the eastern side, from the hands of Victor Sparre
.
The church got an organ built by Grönlunds Orgelbyggeri in 2005, with 3 manuals, pedal, 42 stops and 2940 pipes. It replaced the old opus nr. 12 organ delivered by Vestlandske Orgelverksted, Hareid, which had 22 voices and 124 keys.
Tromsdalen
Tromsdalen is a village area and valley in the municipality of Tromsø in Troms county, Norway. It is located just to the east of the city of Tromsø on the mainland along the coast of the Tromsøysundet. The population of Tromsdalen is 4,589....
Church (Tromsdalen Kirke), which is more commonly known as The Arctic Cathedral (Ishavskatedralen, literally "The Cathedral of the Arctic Sea"), is a church in Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, built in 1965. The church is a parish church and not, in fact, a cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
.
The church was designed by Jan Inge Hovig
Jan Inge Hovig
Jan Inge Hovig was a Norwegian architect.Hovig finished his studies at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in 1946. He was city architect during the reconstruction of Narvik 1947-1950, which had been devastated during a battle in 1940. In 1950 he moved to Oslo and founded his own office...
, and its building materials consist mainly of concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
. Because of the church's distinct look and situation, it has often been called "the opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
of Norway", likening it to the famous Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The church is probably the most famous landmark in Tromsø, although Tromsø does have another church of interest, the Tromsø Cathedral
Tromsø Cathedral
Tromsø Cathedral in Tromsø, Norway is the seat of the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.Tromsø Cathedral is the only Norwegian cathedral made of wood. The church is in Gothic revival style, with the church tower and main entrance facing west. It is likely to be the northernmost Protestant cathedral in...
, which is noted for being the only wooden cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Norway.
In 1972 it got a glass mosaic added to the eastern side, from the hands of Victor Sparre
Victor Sparre
Victor Sparre was a Norwegian painter, glass designer and non-fiction writer.-Personal life:...
.
The church got an organ built by Grönlunds Orgelbyggeri in 2005, with 3 manuals, pedal, 42 stops and 2940 pipes. It replaced the old opus nr. 12 organ delivered by Vestlandske Orgelverksted, Hareid, which had 22 voices and 124 keys.