Cathedral of Helsinki
| Helsinki Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Helsingin tuomiokirkko, Suurkirkko (in Finnish) Helsingfors domkyrka, Storkyrkan (in Swedish) |
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Helsinki Cathedral
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| 60°10′13″N 024°57′08″E / 60.17028°N 24.95222°ECoordinates: 60°10′13″N 024°57′08″E / 60.17028°N 24.95222°E | |
| Location | Helsinki, Finland |
| Denomination | Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |
| Website | helsinkicathedral |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Nicholas |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Architect(s) | Carl Ludvig Engel; later altered by Ernst Lohrmann |
| Style | Neoclassical |
| Completed | 1852 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | seats 1,300 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Helsinki |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Irja Askola |
Helsinki Cathedral (Finnish: Helsingin tuomiokirkko, Suurkirkko; Swedish: Helsingfors domkyrka, Storkyrkan) is the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki, located in the neighborhood of Kruununhaka in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. The church was originally built from 1830-1852 as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. It was also known as St Nicholas' Church until the independence of Finland in 1917.
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 façade 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 was built on the site of the smaller Ulrika Eleonora Church, which was dedicated to its patroness, Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden. A facsimile of this church, made entirely from snow, was constructed on Senate Square in the early 2000s. 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.
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