KIRUNA: With great fanfare, a historic red wooden church considered one of Sweden`s most beautiful buildings began its slow move from its home in the Arctic town of Kiruna on Tuesday to allow the expansion of Europe`s biggest underground mine.

Kiruna`s entire town centre is being moved because of the giant LKAB iron ore mine that dominates the region, whose ever deeper burrowing over the years has weakened the ground, increasing the risk of collapse in some parts.

Kiruna Kyrka, an imposing 672-tonne Swedish Lutheran church from 1912, is being moved five kilometres (three miles) on remote-controlled flatbed trailers, inching along at a pace of half a kilometre an hour over two days to the new Kiruna town.

The complex and costly logistical operation kicked off after a blessing by BishopAsa Nystrom and Vicar Lena Tjarnberg, with the trailers` 220 wheels slowly pulling out under sunny blue skies.

One of the trickiest parts of the meticulously choreographed journey was the start, officials said, with the 1,200-tonne convoy required to make a turn and roll down a slight incline to reach the main road it was to travel on.

Throughout its journey on Tuesday, workers in yellow vests and helmets scrambled around the structure, taking measurements and conducting tests to ensure everything proceeded as planned.

After a smooth ride, a brief lunch break and frequent technical checks inside the church, the transport stopped for the day around 3:50 pm (1350 GMT), more than an hour ahead of schedule.

It was to resume on Wednesday morning and scheduled to arrive at its final destination in the afternoon.-AFP