Helsinki Cathedral

All you want to know about Helsinki Cathedral

Basic information
Helsinki Cathedral Helsingin tuomiokirkko or Suurkirkko Helsingfors Domkyrka
The Helsinki Cathedral
Location	Helsinki, Finland
Religious affiliation	Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
District	Diocese of Helsinki
Ecclesiastical status	Cathedral
Website	tuomiokirkko.kirkkohelsinki.net
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Originally Carl Ludvig Engel and later altered by Ernst Lohrmann
Architectural type	Cathedral
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Year completed	1852
Specifications
Capacity	Seats 1,300

Helsinki Cathedral (in Finnish Helsingin tuomiokirkko or Suurkirkko, in Swedish Helsingfors domkyrka or Storkyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki, located in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. The church was built as a tribute to the Grand Duke, Nicholas I, the Tsar of Russia and until the independence of Finland in 1917, it was called St. Nicholas' Church.

The Helsinki Cathedral at night

Market Square, Helsinki. Helsinki Cathedral is in the center of the image.

A distinct landmark in the scenery of central Helsinki, with a tall green dome surrounded by four smaller domes, the church was built in 1830-1852, representing the neoclassical style. It was originally designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, the building forming the climax of the whole Senate Square designed by Engel, surrounded by a number of buildings all designed by him. The building has a Greek-cross plan (i.e. a square central mass and four arms of equal length), and is symmetrical in each of the four cardinal directions, each marked by a colonnade and pediment. Engel had intended to place a further row of columns on the west end to mark the main entrance (opposite the altar at the east end), but this was never realised. The building was later altered by his successor Ernst Lohrmann, whose four small domes make the architectural connection to the cathedral's model, Saint Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, even clearer. Lohrmann also erected two separately standing bell towers and zinc statues of the Twelve Apostles at apexes and corners of the roofline.^[1]

Today the cathedral is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Helsinki. Annually more than 350,000 people visit the church, some of them to attend religious events, but most are tourists. The church is in regular use for both worship services and special events such as weddings. The crypt was renovated in the 1980s by architects Vilhelm Helander and Juha Leiviskä for use for exhibitions and church functions. Helander was also responsible for the conservation repairs to the cathedral in the late 1990s.

Before the cathedral was built, in its place a smaller church stood, called the Church of Ulrika Eleonora. It was dedicated to its patroness, Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden. A facsimile of this church, made entirely from snow, was later constructed on the Senate Square in the early 2000s.