Northern Lights Cathedral

The Northern Lights Cathedral - Alta Church (Norwegian: Nordlyskatedralen - Alta Kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Alta Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county. It is located in the central part of the town of Alta. It is the main church for the Alta parish as well as the seat of the Alta prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland. The modern church was built in a circular style in 2013 using plans drawn up by the architectural firm LINK arkitektur, in collaboration with Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. The church seats about 350 people.[1][2] Prior to the opening of this church, the main church for the parish was the historic Alta Church.

Northern Lights Cathedral
Alta Church
Nordlyskatedralen - Alta Kirke
View of the church
69.965107°N 23.266816°E / 69.965107; 23.266816
LocationAlta Municipality,
Troms og Finnmark
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
Websitenordlyskatedral.no
History
StatusParish church
Founded2013
Consecrated10 Feb 2013
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)LINK arkitektur
Architectural typeCircular
Completed2013 (2013)
Specifications
Capacity350
MaterialsConcrete
Administration
DioceseNord-Hålogaland
DeaneryAlta prosti
ParishAlta

Design

The church construction period was 2009–2013. The building was constructed of concrete and wood with external cladding of titanium sheets. The central feature is its large spiral with belfry. The interior contains artwork by the artist Peter Brandes.[3]

The cathedral is the result of an architectural competition launched in 2001 and was designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects in collaboration with architect Kolbjørn Jenssen of Link Arkitektur.[4] It was consecrated on 10 February 2013 by the Bishop Per Oskar Kjølaas, with the Crown Princess Mette Marit in attendance. The church was built to replace the old Alta Church as the main church for the parish and deanery.[5][6]

Name

The "Northern Lights" are the Aurora Borealis associated with the Arctic night sky. At the opening service, bishop Per Oskar Kjølaas admitted that the word katedrale was contentious since it technically meant not a parish church but a cathedral (for which the more common Norwegian word is domkirke). He defended the name by the informal precedents of the Lofotkatedralen and Ishavskatedralen, and argued that a bishop is at home in all churches of the diocese.[7]

  • Nordlyskatedralen Entrance
    Nordlyskatedralen Entrance
  • Outer courtyard
    Outer courtyard
  • Exterior view
    Exterior view
  • Interior view
    Interior view
  • Nordlyskatedralen Sanctuary
    Nordlyskatedralen Sanctuary
  • Nordlyskatedralen Organ
    Nordlyskatedralen Organ
  • Nordlyskatedralen Spiral
    Nordlyskatedralen Spiral
  • Nordlyskatedralen Altar
    Nordlyskatedralen Altar
  • Altar
    Altar

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nordlyskatedralen.

References
  1. "Nordlyskatedralen Alta kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  3. "Northern Lights Cathedral /Alta". Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  4. "Cathedral of the Northern Lights / SHL Architects + LINK arkitektur". ArchDaily. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  5. "Vigsling av katedralen 10. februar" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  6. Thor Bugge Lanesskog (10 February 2013). "Opening of "Nordlyskatedralen"". ThorNews. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  7. Lund, Rolf Edmund (10 February 2013). "Unikt navnevalg". Alta Posten (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 15 October 2018.

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