St. John's Church (, ) in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church designed by the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

architect in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style. It is the largest stone church in Finland by seating capacity.

Description

''Johannes'' (John) church stands on a hill that for many centuries had been a place for

Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest Daytime, day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of Eu ...

bonfires (Midsummer is now also "John's Day", ''Juhannus'' in Finnish). Situated in the

Ullanlinna (; ) is a city district of Helsinki, in Finland. The name ''Ullanlinna'' () refers to the fortification line that was built at the southern edge of the area during the 18th century (no longer visible), as part of the town fortifications, which al ...

district of Helsinki, the church was built between 1888 and 1891, the third Lutheran church in Helsinki, and still the biggest. The twin towers are in height, and the church seats 2,600 people and has excellent acoustics, and it is therefore used for big concerts and events as well as services. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

shows

Saul Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late eleventh c ...

's conversion and the painting, called ''A Divine Revelation'', is by

Eero Järnefelt Erik "Eero" Nikolai Järnefelt (8 November 1863 – 15 November 1937) was a Finnish painter and art professor. He is best known for his portraits and landscapes of the area around Koli National Park, in the North Karelia region of Finland. He wa ...

, brother-in-law to

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

. In August 2022 a six-month renovation of the church was completed, in which the

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...

s of the church were repaired and renewed due to their poor condition; Helsinki's raw sea air and weather fluctuations on both sides of zero had damaged the condition of the concrete decorations and it was feared that they would crumble and fall in time.

Organ

The organ was built in 1891 by German company Walcker of

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a Cities of Germany, city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg (district), Lu ...

, with a pneumatic mechanism. At the time it was the largest in Finland. In 1921, composer

Oskar Merikanto Oskar Merikanto (; born Frans Oskar Ala-Kanto; 5 August 186817 February 1924) was a Finnish composer, music critic, pianist, and organist. As a composer, Merikanto was primarily a miniaturist, and includes songs and piano pieces (he wrote over ...

, the first church organist, expanded the organ. In 2004 and 2005, the organ was renovated by German organ builder ; it now has 66 stops and 4,036 pipes. In 2018 an English-style shell organ, by Urkurakentamo Veikko Virtanen Oy from

Espoo Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...

, was installed. It has nine voices and a movable soundboard.

Gallery

References

External links

*
St. John's Church at the Parish Union of Helsinki official websiteEnglish translation
Lutheran churches in Helsinki Brick Gothic Churches completed in 1891 19th-century Lutheran churches Gothic Revival church buildings in Finland 19th-century churches in Finland {{finland-Lutheran-church-stub

Description

Organ

Gallery

See also

References

External links