Church of St. Lawrence, Vantaa
| The Church of St. Lawrence | |
|---|---|
| Vantaan Pyhän Laurin kirkko (in Finnish) Helsinge kyrka S:t Lars (in Swedish) |
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The Church of St. Lawrence and its bell tower
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| 60°16′59.28″N 24°59′9.49″E / 60.2831333°N 24.9859694°ECoordinates: 60°16′59.28″N 24°59′9.49″E / 60.2831333°N 24.9859694°E | |
| Location | Kirkkotie 45, Helsinki Parish Village, 01510 Vantaa |
| Country | Finland |
| Denomination | Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |
| Previous denomination | Catholic |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Founded | ca. 1450 |
| Dedication | Lawrence of Rome |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Carl Theodor Höijer |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style |
Medieval, Gothic Revival |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | about 500 |
| Length | 27.6 metres (91 ft) |
| Width | 17.4 metres (57 ft) |
| Floor area | 600 square metres (6,500 sq ft) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Tikkurila |
The Church of St. Lawrence (Finnish: Vantaan Pyhän Laurin kirkko; Swedish: Helsinge kyrka S:t Lars) is a church in Vantaa, Finland. Dating back to ca. 1450, it is the oldest building in Vantaa and all of Greater Helsinki. It is also the main church of the Tikkurila Parish. Along with its surrounding neighborhood, the church is a part of the Helsingin pitäjän kirkonkylä district, which is one of the best preserved historical parishes in all of Finland.
The Church of St. Lawrence was partially destroyed in a fire on 7 May 1893, after which it was reconstructed in a Gothic Revival style.
The Church of St. Lawrence was built around the year 1450, though records suggest that a wooden equivalent stood in its position as early as 1401. Prior to the Protestant Reformation and the introduction of Lutheranism into Finland, the church served the Roman Catholic Church. It was built as the church of Helsinki Parish, well before Helsinki, the city, was founded in 1550. The parish village with its church was favorably located on a coastal road between Turku and Vyborg. A branch of the salmon-rich River Vantaa ran through the village as well.
On 7 May 1893, the church was largely destroyed by a conflagration, leaving behind only its stone walls and vaults. Reconstruction was overseen by the renowned Finnish architect Theodor Höijer, who opted to alter the appearance of the church by increasing the sizes of its windows and tending toward a Gothic Revival style. The reconstruction, or as it was referred to, the restoration, was influenced by the cultural context of the late 1800s, during which Medieval architecture was gaining newfound respect in Finland.
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