Espoo Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The Espoo Cathedral is a medieval stone church in Espoo
, Finland
and the seat of the Diocese of Espoo
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
. The cathedral is located in the district of Espoon keskus
, near the Espoonjoki river. The oldest parts of the church were completed in the 1480s and it is thus the oldest preserved building in the city.
The church became a cathedral
in 2004 after the Diocese of Espoo was split off from the Diocese of Helsinki
. The cathedral grounds include a graveyard, a vicarage and a parish hall completed in 1995. In addition to being the seat of the Diocese of Espoo, it serves as the church for the Espoo Cathedral Parish and hosts various concerts and other events including the "Organ Night and Aria" concert series.
, were taken apart between 1821 and 1823 when the building was converted into a more spacious cruciform church.
The vaults and walls of the older parts of the cathedral are decorated with murals, largely painted in the 1510s, that depict both biblical scenes and events in the daily life of the people. The paintings were covered in the 18th century as they were thought to be "crude and superstitious" but uncovered again and conserved during renovations in 1931. The current campanile
of the cathedral was completed in 1767 and its top part was redone between 1868 and 1869.
Espoo
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and the seat of the Diocese of Espoo
Diocese of Espoo
The Diocese of Espoo is the newest of the nine dioceses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The diocese came into existence in 2004 after the Diocese of Helsinki was split in two. The seat of the diocese is the Espoo Cathedral and its first and current bishop is Mikko Heikka. In...
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the national church of Finland. The church professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....
. The cathedral is located in the district of Espoon keskus
Espoon keskus
Espoon keskus is the central district of Espoo, the second biggest city of Finland and the administrative centre with the city hall of Espoo. The areas of Kiltakallio, Kirkkojärvi, Saarniraivio, Suna, Suvela and Tuomarila belong to Espoon keskus...
, near the Espoonjoki river. The oldest parts of the church were completed in the 1480s and it is thus the oldest preserved building in the city.
The church became a cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in 2004 after the Diocese of Espoo was split off from the Diocese of Helsinki
Diocese of Helsinki
The Diocese of Helsinki is a Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and the seat of the Bishop of Helsinki. Its cathedral is Helsinki Cathedral....
. The cathedral grounds include a graveyard, a vicarage and a parish hall completed in 1995. In addition to being the seat of the Diocese of Espoo, it serves as the church for the Espoo Cathedral Parish and hosts various concerts and other events including the "Organ Night and Aria" concert series.
History
The church was originally designed in the late 15th century by an unknown "Espoo master" and built between 1485 and 1490 under his supervision. The only remaining parts of the medieval church are the eastern and western parts of the nave. The weapons room was removed between 1804 and 1806 and certain other parts of the church, including the original sacristySacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
, were taken apart between 1821 and 1823 when the building was converted into a more spacious cruciform church.
The vaults and walls of the older parts of the cathedral are decorated with murals, largely painted in the 1510s, that depict both biblical scenes and events in the daily life of the people. The paintings were covered in the 18th century as they were thought to be "crude and superstitious" but uncovered again and conserved during renovations in 1931. The current campanile
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
of the cathedral was completed in 1767 and its top part was redone between 1868 and 1869.
Further reading
- Hiekkanen, Markus (1988). Polvesta polveen täällä : Espoon kirkon esiinkaivettua menneisyyttä. Espoo: Espoon seurakunnat. ISBN 951-99899-3-5.
- Hiekkanen, Markus (1994). The Stone Churches of the Medieval Diocese of Turku : A Systematic Classification and Chronology Helsinki. ISBN 951-9057-11-0.