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{{For|the Orthodox cathedral in Helsinki|Uspenski Cathedral}}
{{Expand Finnish|topic=struct|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox church
| name               = Helsinki Cathedral 
| native_name        = {{lang|fi|Helsingin tuomiokirkko}}, {{lang|fi|Suurkirkko}} {{in lang|fi}}<br />{{lang|sv|Helsingfors domkyrka}}, {{lang |sv|Storkyrkan}} {{in lang|sv}}
| image              = Helsinki July 2013-27a.jpg
| caption            = 
| location           = [[Kruununhaka]], [[Helsinki]], [[Finland]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|60|10|13|N|024|57|08|E|display=inline,title}}
| status             = [[Cathedral]]
| denomination       = [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland]] 
| website            = {{URL|https://helsingintuomiokirkko.fi/en/index.html|helsingintuomiokirkko.fi}} 
| diocese            = [[Diocese of Helsinki|Helsinki]]
| dedication         = [[St Nicholas]]
| style              = [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]]
| groundbreaking     = 1830
| completed date     = 1852
| construction cost  = 
| architect          = [[Carl Ludvig Engel]]; later altered by [[Ernst Lohrmann]]
| capacity           = seats 1,300
| length             = 
| width              = 
| bishop             = [[Teemu Laajasalo]]
}}

'''Helsinki Cathedral''' ({{langx|fi|Helsingin tuomiokirkko}}, {{lang|fi|Suurkirkko}}; {{langx|sv|Helsingfors domkyrka}}, {{lang|sv|Storkyrkan}}) is the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland|Finnish Evangelical Lutheran]] [[cathedral]] of the [[Diocese of Helsinki]], located in the neighborhood of [[Kruununhaka]] in the centre of [[Helsinki]], [[Finland]], at the [[Helsinki Senate Square|Senate Square]]. The church was originally built from 1830 to 1852 as a tribute to the [[Grand Duchy of Finland|Grand Duke of Finland]], Emperor [[Nicholas I of Russia]]. It was also known as '''St Nicholas's Church''' ({{langx|fi|Nikolainkirkko}}, {{langx|sv|Nikolajkyrkan}}) until [[Independence of Finland|Finland declared its full independence]] in 1917.<ref>[https://www.helsinginseurakunnat.fi/en/helsingintuomiokirkko/artikkelit/esed2f4rd Kirkko Helsingissä - Cathedral]</ref> It is a major landmark of the city,<ref>{{cite web |title=Helsingin tuomiokirkko |url=https://www.myhelsinki.fi/fi/n%C3%A4e-ja-koe/n%C3%A4ht%C3%A4vyydet/helsingin-tuomiokirkko |website=My Helsinki |access-date=26 June 2020}}</ref> and one of the most famous historical structures in Finland as a whole when viewed globally.<ref>[https://www.globeguide.ca/ultimate-guide-top-sights-helsinki-finland/ What to do in Helsinki: Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.destig.com/architecture-of-helsinki-finland.html |title=Architecture of Helsinki – Destig |access-date=5 March 2021 |archive-date=20 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920022024/http://www.destig.com/architecture-of-helsinki-finland.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Description==
A distinctive landmark in the Helsinki cityscape, with its tall, green dome surrounded by four smaller domes, the building is in the [[Neoclassical architecture|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.

{{gallery
|mode=packed
|height=160
|File:Lutheran Cathedral Helsinki edit.jpg|The cathedral and the steps
|File:Sky-foto Möller - Aerial photograph of Helsinki Cathedral from above it in 1976.jpg|Aerial photograph from on top in 1976 that shows the shape of the cathedral
|File:Suomen Ilmakuva - Aerial photograph from the center of Helsinki to the sea in 2015.jpg|2015 aerial photograph showing the rear of the cathedral and the view to the sea
|File:Helsinkimerelta--GFDL--.jpg|The cathedral from the sea
}}

==History==
After Helsinki was made into the capital of Finland in 1812, [[Alexander I of Russia|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.<ref name="kirkkojakaupunkiuspenski">{{cite news |last1=Ikonen |first1=Outi |title=Uspenskin katedraalia alettiin rakentaa suolantuontiveroilla – nyt 150 vuotta täyttävä katedraali on suosittu turistikohde |url=https://www.kirkkojakaupunki.fi/-/uspenskin-katedraalia-alettiin-rakentaa-suolantuontiveroilla-nyt-150-vuotta-tayttava-katedraali-on-suosittu-turistikohde |access-date=27 June 2020 |work=Kirkko ja kaupunki |date=15 August 2018}}</ref> The cathedral was built on the site of the smaller 1724–1727 {{ill|Ulrika Eleonora Church (Helsinki)|fi|Ulrika Eleonoran kirkko (Helsinki)}}, which had been dedicated to its patroness, [[Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden|Ulrika Eleonora]], [[Queen of Sweden]].<ref name="ulrikamemorial">{{cite web |title=Memorial to the Ulrika Eleonora Church |url=https://www.hamhelsinki.fi/en/sculpture/ulrika-eleonoran-kirkon-muistomedaljonki-gunnar-finne/ |website=HAM Helsinki |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028215039/https://www.hamhelsinki.fi/en/sculpture/ulrika-eleonoran-kirkon-muistomedaljonki-gunnar-finne/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[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.<ref name="kirkontarina">{{cite web |title=Kirkon tarina |url=https://helsingintuomiokirkko.fi/index/kirkontarina.html |website=Helsingin Tuomiokirkko |access-date=26 June 2020}}</ref> Construction of the cathedral began in 1830, although it was only officially inaugurated on 15 February 1852.<ref name="yle">{{cite web |last1=Perälä |first1=Reijo |title=Helsingin tuomiokirkko nousi vallan symboliksi ja maksoi miljoona ruplaa |url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2006/11/28/suurkirkko-muistojen-kirkko |website=Yle |access-date=26 June 2020 |date=12 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ruuth|first=Martti|title=Helsingin Suurkirkko satavuotias|page=7|publisher=Helsingin evankelis-luterilaisten seurakunta|location=Helsinki|year=1952|language=fi}}</ref> 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, Saint Petersburg|Kazan Cathedral]] in [[St. Petersburg]].<ref name="kirkkojakaupunkihelmi">{{cite web |last1=Halonen |first1=Kaisa |title=160-vuotias Helsingin helmi |url=https://www.kirkkojakaupunki.fi/-/160-vuotias-helsingin-helmi |website=Kirkko ja kaupunki |access-date=26 June 2020 |date=1 February 2012}}</ref><ref name="helsinginseurakunta">{{cite web |title=Tuomiokirkko Helsingin sydän |url=https://www.helsinginseurakunnat.fi/material/attachments/tuomiokirkko/63x3xVsWU/Helsingin_tuomiokirkon_esite.pdf |website=Helsingin Seurakunta |access-date=26 June 2020}}</ref> 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.<ref name="tilat">{{cite web |title=Tilat |url=https://helsingintuomiokirkko.fi/index/tilat.html |website=Helsingin Tuomiokirkko |access-date=26 June 2020}}</ref> He also erected larger-than-life sized zinc statues of the [[Twelve Apostles]] at the apexes and corners of the roofline in 1849.<ref>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.</ref> They were sculpted by [[August Wredov]] and [[Hermann Schievelbein]] and cast by [[S. P. Devaranne]] in [[Berlin]] in 1845–1847.<ref name="kaksitoistaapostolia">{{cite web |title=Kaksitoista apostolia |url=https://www.hamhelsinki.fi/sculpture/kaksitoista-apostolia-hermann-schievelbein-august-wredow/ |website=HAM Helsinki |access-date=26 June 2020 |archive-date=23 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123203503/https://www.hamhelsinki.fi/sculpture/kaksitoista-apostolia-hermann-schievelbein-august-wredow/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The altarpiece was painted by [[Carl Timoleon von Neff]] and donated to the church by Emperor [[Nicholas I of Russia|Nicholas I]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uppslagsverket.fi/bin/view/Uppslagsverket/HelsingforsDomkyrka |title=HelsingforsDomkyrka |publisher=Uppslagsverket Finland |language=sv |access-date=19 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224114745/http://www.uppslagsverket.fi/bin/view/Uppslagsverket/HelsingforsDomkyrka |archive-date=24 December 2013 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="seurakuntalainen">{{cite news |title=Helsingin tuomiokirkko harkitsee pääsymaksun perimistä |url=https://www.seurakuntalainen.fi/uutiset/helsingin-tuomiokirkko-harkitsee-paasymaksun-perimista/ |access-date=27 June 2020 |work=Seurakuntalainen |date=28 October 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref>https://yle.fi/a/74-20131317 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2025}}</ref>

{{gallery
|mode=packed
|height=150
|title=History
|File:Engela2.jpg|Ulrika Eleonora church in 1816–1817, roughly located at the northwest part of the square
|File:Tuomiokirkon luonnos Engel 1.jpg|An original sketch of the cathedral by Engel
|File:Tuomiokirkon luonnos Engel 0.jpg|Another of Engel's sketches with accompanying buildings
|File:Senaatintori ja Nikolainkirkko 1838.jpg|[[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.<ref name="kirkontarina"/>
|File:Eugen Hoffers,Ulriikaporinvuorelta pohjoiseen, 1867.jpg|1867 photograph from the south
|File:Valtiopäiväjumalanpalvelus Nikolainkirkossa - N4013 (hkm.HKMS000005-km002z0t).jpg|1907 service with government officials on the day of the first annual session of the [[Parliament of Finland]]
|File:Pekka Vyhtinen - Snow sculpture version of the Ulrika Eleonora Church being constructed on the Senate Square, Helsinki in 2000.jpg|[[Snow sculpture]] version of the old Ulrika Eleonora Church being constructed on the square in 2000 (also done once before in 1997)<ref name="kysy">{{cite web |title=Minä vuosina Helsingin Senaatintorille rakennettiin lumikirkko? |url=http://www.kysy.fi/kysymys/mina-vuosina-helsingin-senaatintorille-rakennettiin-lumikirkko |website=Kysy |access-date=29 June 2020 |date=13 October 2011 |archive-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927080210/http://www.kysy.fi/kysymys/mina-vuosina-helsingin-senaatintorille-rakennettiin-lumikirkko |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

==In popular culture==

The opening sequence of the music video for "[[Sandstorm (instrumental)|Sandstorm]]" by [[Darude]] was filmed on Senate Square, prominently featuring the Cathedral in the background.<ref>{{cite news |title= Myrskyisä pako läpi Helsingin katujen |newspaper= [[Helsingin Sanomat]] |date= 16 November 2000 |url= http://dynamic.hs.fi/arkku/tiedostot/23636734HS20001116SI2KA01b8s.pdf |language= fi |access-date= 10 April 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151004154249/http://dynamic.hs.fi/arkku/tiedostot/23636734HS20001116SI2KA01b8s.pdf |archive-date= 4 October 2015 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name="hsdarude">{{cite news |last1=Rantanen |first1=Miska |title=Maailman kuuluisin takaa-ajojuoksu |url=https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000006090034.html |access-date=5 July 2020 |work=Helsingin Sanomat |date=2 May 2019}}</ref>

==Gallery==

{{gallery
|mode=packed
|height=150
|title=Exterior details of the cathedral
|File:11-07-29-helsinki-by-RalfR-153.jpg|Detailing on the side
|File:Helsinki_Cathedral_-_panoramio_-_Aulo_Aasmaa_(3).jpg|Right side
|File:Finland - Helsinki Cathedral (4041717444).jpg|The roof going through renovations in 2009
|File:Senaatintori (Helsinki Senate Square) elokuussa 2018 02.jpg|Bell tower on the left side
|File:Catedral Luterana de Helsinki, Finlandia, 2012-08-14, DD 16.JPG|Main dome with a clock
|File:Catedral Luterana de Helsinki, Finlandia, 2012-08-14, DD 15.JPG|Tops of domes
}}

{{gallery
|mode=packed
|height=150
|title=12 Apostles
|File:Catedral_Luterana_de_Helsinki,_Finlandia,_2012-08-14,_DD_17.JPG|[[Saint Peter]], carrying [[Keys of Heaven]]
|File:Helsinki_Cathedral_John_the_Evangelist.jpg|[[John the Apostle]], carrying a cup
|File:Philip_the_Apostle_Helsinki_Cathedral.jpg|[[Philip the Apostle]], carrying an open book
|File:Apostle_Bartholomew_Helsinki_Cathedral.jpg|[[Bartholomew the Apostle]], carrying a knife because he was skinned alive
|File:Helsinki Cathedral Matthew the Evangelist.jpg|[[Matthew the Evangelist]], carrying writing instruments
|File:Thomas_the_Apostle_Helsinki_Cathedral.jpg|[[Thomas the Apostle]], carrying a [[Steel square|square]]
|File:Simon_the_Zealot_Helsinki_Cathedral.jpg|[[Simon the Zealot]], carrying a saw
|File:Saint Matthias Helsinki Cathedral.jpg|[[Saint Matthias]], carrying an executioner's axe
}}

{{center|There are also statues of [[Paul the Apostle]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Korhonen |first1=Ilari |title=Paavali |url=https://www.tottosaari.com/albumi/muitakirkkoja/2110461 |website=Tottosaari |access-date=25 June 2020}}</ref> [[James the Great]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Korhonen |first1=Ilari |title=Jaakob Vanhempi |url=https://www.tottosaari.com/albumi/muitakirkkoja/2110457 |website=Tottosaari |access-date=25 June 2020}}</ref> [[James, son of Alphaeus]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Korhonen |first1=Ilari |title=Jaakob Nuorempi |url=https://www.tottosaari.com/albumi/muitakirkkoja/2110456 |website=Tottosaari |access-date=25 June 2020}}</ref> and [[Andrew the Apostle]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Korhonen |first1=Ilari |title=Andreas |url=https://www.tottosaari.com/albumi/muitakirkkoja/2110453 |website=Tottosaari |access-date=25 June 2020}}</ref>}}

{{gallery
|mode=packed
|height=150
|title=Interior details
|File:Helsinki Cathedral, 1852 (15) (36294114320).jpg|Interior, view towards the front
|File:Finlande Helsinki Cathedrale Lutherienne - panoramio.jpg|View towards the back
|File:Helsinki Cathedral, 1852 (13) (36689458605).jpg|Organ
|File:Helsinki Cathedral, 1852 (14) (36643361076).jpg|Plain dome 
|File:Interior of Helsinki Cathedral tower.jpg|Dome inside
|File:Catedral Luterana de Helsinki, Finlandia, 2012-08-14, DD 09.JPG|Altar, with [[Carl Timoleon von Neff]]'s painting ''The Descent of Jesus from the Cross'' donated by [[Nicholas I of Russia|Nicholas I]]
|File:Mikael Agricola - Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral - DSC05388.jpg|[[Mikael Agricola]] by [[Ville Vallgren]], 1887
|File:Luther, Helsinki Cathedral, 2019 (01).jpg|[[Martin Luther]], copy of [[Ernst Rietschel]]'s work in [[Worms, Germany|Worms]] brought in 1886
|File:Philipp Melanchthon - Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral - DSC05396.JPG|[[Melanchthon]], similar copy of Rietchel
|File:Inside the Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral.jpg|The crypt below
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity|Finland}}
*[[St. John's Church, Helsinki|St. John's Church]]
* [[Uspenski Cathedral]]
* [[St. Henry's Cathedral]]
* [[Holy Trinity Church, Helsinki]]
* [[Saint Isaac's Cathedral|Saint Isaac's Cathedral (Saint Petersburg)]]
* [[Berlin Cathedral|Berlin Cathedral (Berlin)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Helsinki Cathedral}}
* [https://helsingintuomiokirkko.fi/en/index.html Official Site] (in English)
* [https://www.helsinginseurakunnat.fi/en/index/helsingintuomiokirkko.html.stx Helsinki Cathedral] at Helsingin seurakuntayhtymä (in English)
* [http://0pointer.de/static/helsingin-tuomiokirkko.html Panoramic view of Helsinki Cathedral]

{{Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland}}
{{Helsinki Cityscape}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Carl Ludvig Engel buildings]]
[[Category:Churches completed in 1852]]
[[Category:19th-century Lutheran churches]]
[[Category:Lutheran churches in Helsinki]]
[[Category:Lutheran cathedrals in Finland]]
[[Category:Church buildings with domes]]
[[Category:Kruununhaka]]
[[Category:Neoclassical church buildings in Finland]]
[[Category:1852 establishments in Finland]]
[[Category:Grand Duchy of Finland]]