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A distinctive landmark in the Helsinki cityscape, with its tall, green dome surrounded by four smaller domes, the building is in the neoclassical style. It was designed by Carl Ludvig Engel as the climax of his Senate Square layout: it is surrounded by other, smaller buildings designed by him.
The church's plan is a Greek cross (a square centre and four equilateral arms), symmetrical in each of the four cardinal directions, with each arm's facade featuring a colonnade and pediment. Engel originally intended to place a further row of columns on the western end to mark the main entrance opposite the eastern altar, but this was never built.
The cathedral and the steps
Aerial photograph from on top in 1976 that shows the shape of the cathedral
2015 aerial photograph showing the rear of the cathedral and the view to the sea
The cathedral from the sea
History
After Helsinki was made into the capital of Finland in 1812, Alexander I decreed in 1814 that 15 percent of the salt import tax were to be collected into a fund for two churches, one Lutheran and one Orthodox.[5] The cathedral was built on the site of the smaller 1724–1727 Ulrika Eleonora Church (Helsinki) [fi], which had been dedicated to its patroness, Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden.[6]Helsinki Old Church was built between 1824 and 1826 in nearby Kamppi to serve the parish while the Ulrika Eleonora Church was being demolished and until the consecration of the new cathedral. The bells of the old church were reused in the cathedral.[7] Construction of the cathedral began in 1830, although it was only officially inaugurated on 15 February 1852.[8][9] Engel died in 1840.
The building was later altered by Engel's successor Ernst Lohrmann, whose four small domes emphasise the architectural connection to the cathedral's models, Saint Isaac's Cathedral and Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.[10][11] Lohrmann also designed two extra buildings to the sides of the steps: looking from the square the left building is a bell tower and the right building a chapel.[12] He also erected larger-than-life sized zinc statues of the Twelve Apostles at the apexes and corners of the roofline in 1849.[13] They were sculpted by August Wredov and Hermann Schievelbein and cast by S. P. Devaranne in Berlin in 1845–1847.[14] The altarpiece was painted by Carl Timoleon von Neff and donated to the church by Emperor Nicholas I.[15] The cathedral crypt was renovated in the 1980s by architects Vilhelm Helander and Juha Leiviskä for use in exhibitions and church functions; Helander was also responsible for conservation repairs on the cathedral in the late 1990s.
Today, the cathedral is one of Helsinki's most popular tourist attractions. In 2018 there were half a million visitors.[16] The church is in regular use for services of worship and special events such as weddings. Finland's national Saint Lucy's Day celebrations are held at the cathedral.[17]
History
Ulrika Eleonora church in 1816–1817, roughly located at the northwest part of the square
An original sketch of the cathedral by Engel
Another of Engel's sketches with accompanying buildings
Lithograph of the church from 1838, before the side buildings were constructed. The guard building in front of the cathedral was demolished in the 1840s and replaced with the large steps.[7]
1867 photograph from the south
1907 service with government officials on the day of the first annual session of the Parliament of Finland
Snow sculpture version of the old Ulrika Eleonora Church being constructed on the square in 2000 (also done once before in 1997)[18]
In popular culture
The opening sequence of the music video for "Sandstorm" by Darude was filmed on Senate Square, prominently featuring the Cathedral in the background.[19][20]
^"Tilat". Helsingin Tuomiokirkko. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
^Cast by the prominent firm of S. P. Devaranne, Berlin, and set up in 1852, according to Carol A. Grissom, Zinc sculpture in America, 1850–1950 2009:587.
![Lithograph of the church from 1838, before the side buildings were constructed. The guard building in front of the cathedral was demolished in the 1840s and replaced with the large steps.[7]](File:Senaatintori_ja_Nikolainkirkko_1838.jpg)
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![Snow sculpture version of the old Ulrika Eleonora Church being constructed on the square in 2000 (also done once before in 1997)[18]](File:Pekka_Vyhtinen_-_Snow_sculpture_version_of_the_Ulrika_Eleonora_Church_being_constructed_on_the_Senate_Square,_Helsinki_in_2000.jpg)
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