Fríðrikskirkjan (Frederickschurch)

From www.tjatsi.fo:

The architect behind Fríðrikskirkjan is Høgni Würdig Larsen (b. 1951) from Tórshavn. After graduating from the College of Architecture of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1979, Høgni W. Larsen studied for a year at the Technical College in Helsinki in 1981 and then studied for a year at the Nordic Institute of Social Community Planning in Stockholm in 1982. When the Parish of Nes offered an architect contract for open competition for a new church in the rural district of Toftir on Eysturoy, Høgni W. Larsen was one of the participants.

The requirements for the church were that it had to be able to accommodate 400-600 people and that the building costs could not exceed DKK 15 million. Out of 29 entries, a unanimous committee of judges chose Høgni W. Larsen’s project as the best. As can be seen from the comments of the committee of judges, the church is modelled on the old traditional Faroese church and kept in a pure style. In connection with his participation in the architect competition on Fríðrikskirkjan, Høgni W. Larsen set up the design office Arkitektavirkið c/o Høgni W. Larsen in 1992. In addition to the design office, Arkitektavirkið also contains a studio and a large workshop. The stonework for the altarpiece, Communion table, pulpit and baptismal font in Fríðrikskirkjan was carried out at this workshop by Høgni W. Larsen himself.

The church is composed of three construction members. The supporting structure is white-painted reinforced concrete, whereas the supporting roof structure consists of white-stained laminated wood. The internal walls of the nave consist of white-painted gas concrete, whereas the altar wall is white-painted, plastered reinforced iron. The floor at both ends of the church is of Portuguese slate, whereas the interior of the church and all other rooms have solid merbau floors.

The fixtures and fittings of the church were also designed by Høgni W. Larsen. The altarpiece, Communion table and pulpit are made of black Swedish granite and brass, whereas the baptismal font is made of Faroese columnar basalt and brass. The altarpiece weighs around 6 tonnes and the Communion table around 3 tonnes. Høgni W. Larsen also designed the church’s unique chandeliers, lamps and candlesticks, which are made of brass.