Tampere Cathedral. Tampere Cathedral (Finland)

The competition for the design of a "new Evangelical church in the city of Tampere" was announced on November 7, 1899, the final date for the submission of works was set on October 31 of the following year.

Sonka's project under the motto "Eternitas" (aeternitas (lat.) - eternity) received the first prize. In total, 23 projects were submitted, the 2nd and 3rd places were taken by the projects of the Gran, Hedman and Vasasherna bureaus.

The winning project was distinguished by a picturesque silhouette and thoughtful plan - for example, the benches for parishioners are located so that the priest can be seen and heard from anywhere, two massive columns did not obscure the view of the altar, since diagonal aisles went from them.

The project was ready by December 1901. In addition to the church, he envisaged the construction of several more small buildings, in the neighborhood of which, according to the author, the church building should have looked better. The planned ensemble was not implemented, only a church with a fence was built.

Construction began in April 1902. On Sonck's recommendation, Heikki Kaartinen, an engineer from Helsinki, was appointed as construction foreman and Birger Federlei, who had previously worked with Sonck, was appointed supervising architect.

The granite was ordered from Kiwilouhimo in Uusikaupunki. The stone was transported from Messikyl and Kourou on barges, and the largest blocks, weighing 10-15 tons, were transported on horses from Pinsiyo. Granite was processed in different ways: the walls were made of roughly chipped stone, the portals, steps and plinth were made of sawn stone, only some details of the altar were polished, in particular, the railing.

In the spring of 1904 work began on the roof. The steel framework for the main spire was made by Tampereen Rautateollisuus (Tampere Metal Industry). The height of the main spire is 64 m, the middle spire is 43 m, the smaller one is 38 m. Special tiles were ordered to cover the roof in Yulistaro.

Work on the interiors began with the installation of granite columns and laying out a vault 16x16m, the construction of which was associated with overcoming considerable difficulties.

The interior of the church is decorated with frescoes and paintings. Frescoes and paintings on the theme of the Apocalypse (the church is dedicated to John the Evangelist) were made by the artist Hugo Simberg. The author of the altar fresco "Resurrection" and the stained-glass window in the altar window is the painter Magnus Enkel.

Woodwork (doors, benches) was carried out by Tampereen Höyuryuppuuseppä JSC, stone carving was performed by Estonian craftsmen Nikolai Andreev and Lambert Kaivanto, handles and other fittings were cast from copper by blacksmith Taavi Malin.

The organ for 50 registers was made in Lahti by master Albanus Jurva. In 1929, the Kangasala organ workshop added 18 registers. This instrument is considered the best "romantic" organ in Finland.

The architect Josef Steinbeck bought three copper bells for the belfry in Germany, in the foundry of Franz Schilling.

The author of church utensils is Eric O.V. Ernstrom; ornaments carved on wood and engraved on copper - Walter Jung; fixtures - Max Freelander; furniture in the sacristy and in the basement meeting room - Lars Sonck.

The temple impresses not only with its architecture, but also with all its decoration. Not only vision is involved in this impression, but also hearing - the building has excellent acoustics. As Paula Kivinen writes, "in this church, the message of Christ definitely reaches the listener."

Construction, which lasted five years and three and a half months, was completed in the spring of 1907. The church was consecrated on May 19 of the same year by Bishop Herman Roberg from the diocese of Porvoo.

In 1924, when the Diocese of Tampere and the Church of St. John became a cathedral.

The five-year work of the best masters of the country embodied the most valuable of what was absorbed from the past or rediscovered by national romanticism. Cathedral of St. John is not only the pride of Tampere, but also, according to popular belief, the main monument of this style in Finland.

The material is taken from the Internet resource: http://finmodern.narod.ru

April 6th, 2014 , 02:04 pm

Finland is an insanely beautiful country, but there are not so many historical monuments or world-famous buildings in it. Today we will visit one of the rare wonders of the world of this country - the Cathedral in Tampere, and then we will climb the highest tower in Scandinavia and try to view the city from the height of the Angrybird flight.

The Tampere Cathedral is notable for the fact that it is not located on the main square and does not stand in the center of the world, but is located somewhere out there, in the back of the sleeping area - another symbolism of contradictions that the Finns adore so much -.

This happened, among other things, because the Old Church in Tampere, built on the central square in 1824 - Finlayson Church (1879) and Alexander Church (1881) are located on the western bank, and there was no religious building on the eastern side of the Tammerkoski River . And at the beginning of the 19th century, a competition was announced for the construction of a new cathedral, and won it - who would you think? - Naturally, Lars Sonk, the architect I mentioned only a thousand-million-seven hundred-forty-four times, who built about half of Helsinki -.

The cathedral was built in the traditional Sonka style of National Romanticism, and is considered one of the most significant examples of this type of architecture. When you look at this complex combination of neo-gothic and modern, it is impossible to believe that the cathedral was built at the beginning of the twentieth century (1902-1907) - its appearance is so reminiscent of the Gothic churches of the Middle Ages.

Everyone - both experts and amateurs like me - notes how harmoniously the cathedral, called the church of St. John fits into the space around him. The construction of the church at one time also sharply lowered the unemployment rate, in difficult years for Finland - crop failure and measures taken by the Governor-General Nikolai Bobrikov (I wrote a little about him here -) to Russify Finland brought the country into a state of deep crisis. Well, we enter the cathedral.

Church of St. John in Tampere is considered a wonder of the world, not only because of its external architectural remarkableness. Inside, the cathedral was painted by the best artists in Finland, which makes it a unique work of art.

Altarn. the fresco in the "a secco" style was made by the artist Magnus Enckel. It is called "The Ascension to Heaven", referring to the central theme of Christianity with restraint and aloofness from time to time. The fresco depicts representatives of all human races, which makes the picture universal.

However, with all due respect to Enckel, we will focus on the second artist who had a hand (in the literal sense of the word) in painting the cathedral. This is none other than Hugo Simberg - a kind of Finnish Lars Sonk in painting.

Simberg made all the stained-glass windows of the cathedral - both for round windows and for typical lancet windows. The plots are taken from the Bible and are made in the style of National Romanticism.

Some more stained glass

The sun behind the organ

However, the main thing in this cathedral, at least for me, was not stained-glass windows. Most recently, I told you about the main reason that prompted me to travel to Finland -. What I have not told you yet is that the "Wounded Angel" in the Ateneum has a twin brother, and he is located right here in the Tampere Cathedral.

The Wounded Angel is Finland's favorite work, and one of my favorite paintings. Simberg returned to the themes of death and rebirth on numerous occasions and painted a copy of this great work of art for the Tampere Cathedral. On this fresco, which is located on the end wall of the southern gallery of the cathedral, there are some differences from the "original". So, in the background you can see the Zaodsky pipes - the symbol of Tampere - from which it can be understood that the action of the picture takes place in this city. It can also be deduced from this that the two boys are carrying the "Wounded Angel" all over Finland.

Alas, at the time when I visited the cathedral, they were not allowed on the second floor, so the picture, like the stained-glass windows, had to be photographed from afar. Which, however, does not really spoil the effect of the cathedral.

In all the choirs of the cathedral, Simberg let out a wreath of thorns with sharp thorns. The wreath of life is carried by 12 naked boys, who are interpreted as disciples of Christ. The most famous fragment of this fresco is St. John picking a rose.

At the top of the vault of the central nave, Simberg placed a serpent with wings

Small wings around are like a host of angels. They surround the snake and, as it were, "guard" it. It is not entirely clear whether the serpent is "captured" by the angels, or if they are trying to keep it safe. The serpent is a metaphor for sin. In his mouth I saw the very same apple, but this is not confirmed, and caused controversy among my friends, who argued that I should use less picky grass.

The painting of the cathedral caused fierce disputes not only at my table (or rather at the computer). They tried to erase the symbol above for a good 50 years - special commissions to determine whether the image of a snake is suitable for the church were created more than once, the latter decided the issue in 1946 positively for the seducer. But until now, proposals are sometimes raised to modify the vault of the cathedral. Many other stories were also not accepted favorably by zealous ministers of the church, which ultimately led to the fact that neither Enkel nor Simberg came to the solemn opening ceremony of the frescoes.

White rose on top of the vault above the choir stalls on the south side. And now - the second main work of Simberg in the cathedral

"The Garden of Death" is another of the artist's most famous paintings. Like the "Wounded Angel", this work is made in several versions, and one of them is also in the "Atheneum" gallery. The "Garden of Death" is made almost in the style of primitivism - the figures of death (three skeletons in black robes), deliberately flat, the plot goes back to the medieval tradition, reminiscent of the work of Gothic masters. Human souls are depicted as plants in need of constant care, and death is presented as a feeling character lovingly caring for his fabulous plants. It is here, in this garden, that death can express its emotions. One interpretation of the painting says that death is the other face of love, and the flowers cared for by the figures in black are so fragile that they cannot withstand the impact of this feeling. And on this optimistic note, we leave the miraculous cathedral.

There is a lot of debate about which is "cooler" - the famous Temppeliaukio, the "Church in the Rock" in Helsinki - or this cathedral in Tampere. I personally had no doubts, although both buildings are certainly masterpieces of modern architecture, like the chapel of silence in Kamppi -.

The building opposite the cathedral. If I'm not mistaken, some kind of lyceum. Well, since we are talking about buildings)

I repeat, Tampere is certainly not Helsinki, but some art nouveau a la art nouveau can be found in this city. Like beautiful modern.

And now let's go along Satakunnankatu street to the Nyasinneyula tower. On the way we will pass by the beautiful museum "Amur Workers Quarter".

In the very center of the city, a whole block of old wooden houses has been preserved, in which the workers of Tampere lived from the 1880s to the 1970s. These days there is a museum that tells about the life and life of these same workers. A must visit. In general, in Tampere, a relatively small town, there are more than 25 (!) Museums, most of them are of European level, if not better. I will talk about the three best museums in the next post, but for now let's move on.

Nyasinneyula is the highest observation tower in Scandinavia, 168 meters. Built in 1971, it's inspired by the Space Needle in Seattle - the one we see every week in Grey's Anatomy.

By the way, the tallest tower in the world, the "Heavenly Tree" in Tokyo, has recently opened. It has a height of 634 meters, and is inferior in this parameter only to the absolute record holder Burj Dubai (alas, I can’t boast of a link from there, because Israelis are not allowed into the UAE). Up in Skytree I went up - both because of the fear of heights, and because I felt sorry for thirty bucks. We enter the elevator.

Alas, the day to visit the tower was clearly chosen poorly. The fog was such that the most beautiful view of Tampere more likely claimed to be "the most invisible view" or "the grayest view" (

In theory, from the tower you can see the city center, and the cathedral already mentioned by me, and the surroundings and much more, but on this day we managed to shoot only the houses in the foreground.

Right at the foot of the Nyasinnejylä tower is the Särkänniemi amusement park. By the way, it looked good from above.

In Särkänniemi, in addition to numerous attractions, there is a planetarium, an aquarium, a mini-zoo and a dolphinarium. Alas, the park is closed in winter. However, this didn’t really upset me - I’m not a fan of any kind of Disneylandoff, visiting the original in Paris was quite enough for me.

The park also houses the Sarah Linden Art Museum. It was also closed, which upset me much more, but not because of the winter - they were preparing a new exhibition in it, and who would you think - Andy Warhol himself!

The only shot I managed to take before the workers came and asked me to come out and kicked me out of the building. However, I recently saw an excellent Warhol exhibition in Tel Aviv - and argued about it, so the plan for contemporary art can be said to have already been completed.

At the bottom of the tower is a cool souvenir shop - do not forget that it is Finland - the birthplace of the "angry birds" that have conquered the whole world. Thank God, the Angry Birds mania has passed, but the Star Wars and Darth Vader mania has not))

Leaving the tower

We return by a roundabout way to the center of Tampere, and to the heart of the city - Hameenpuisto boulevard. In the north, the boulevard rests on the Nyosinpuisto or Nyosi park.

In summer, a beautiful fountain works here, in winter it remains only to enjoy the sculptures.

Somewhere I read what exactly they mean, but I don’t remember where, or what)

Moreover, there is a suspicion that I have already loaded you enough about the cathedral, and additional information can be kept for next time. Which we will do.

Take heart, dear ones)

The Evangelical Church of John the Evangelist (Tuomiokirkonkatu, 3A) was built in 1902-1907 according to the design of Lars Sonck / Lars Sonck.

The competition for the design of a new evangelical church in the industrial city of Tammerfors (Tampere) was announced on November 7, 1899. A total of 23 projects were submitted, among which the project of Lars Sonck under the motto "Aeternitas" (lat. - "eternity, immortality") received the first prize. During this period, the architect begins to actively work with the raw granite surface, which decorates his facades. In his project, he crosses medieval Gothic with the motifs of Finnish national romanticism. The result is a rather interesting and picturesque exterior of the church. Sonck also pays attention to the thoughtfulness of the building plan. For example, benches for parishioners are located so that from any place you can see the priest. And the support columns that support the vault did not block the view of the altar.

The project was finally ready by December 1901, and in April 1902 the construction of the church began. Lars Sonck himself was not involved in supervision, and on his recommendation, Birger Federley, who was active in Tampere in those years, was appointed as the architect for construction supervision.

The stone was transported on barges, and the largest blocks weighing 10-15 tons were carried on horses. All granite had different processing: the walls were made of roughly chipped stone, while the architraves, portals, steps, individual decorative elements and the plinth were made of sawn granite blocks.

The height of the main spire is 64 meters. The steel frame of the roof and spire is covered with ceramic tiles.

In 1924, a diocese was established in Tampere, and the church received the status of Tampere Cathedral. Now this building has become not only a landmark of the city, but also a prominent representative of Finnish national romanticism.

Bell tower of the cathedral:

Window decor on the side facade:

Fern leaves in decor are a favorite theme of Finnish national romanticism.

The side portal of the cathedral is interestingly decorated.

The keystone is decorated with the image of a flying owl.

The doors are pretty interesting.

A later but stylized lamp hangs next to the portal.

Next to the portal there are decorative inserts with the date of commencement and completion of construction, as well as the name of the architect.

Main Portal:

Such decoration was used by various architects who worked in the style of the northern modern.

Doors knob:

Portal in the narthex:

Side stairs leading to the choirs (on the left is a model of the cathedral):

A preserved chandelier from the same period in the narthex:

Of no less interest are the interiors, for the design of which Finnish symbolist artists Magnus Enckell and Hugo Simberg were invited.

In the altar aisle there is a painting by Magnus Enckel "Resurrection from the Dead and Ascension to Heaven".

Above the canvas is a stained glass window by Hugo Simberg.

The same artist designed the vault, depicting a snake there, which, according to the Bible, personifies sin or the human heart, sinful from birth.

The snake is surrounded by a ring of countless small wings, symbolizing the protection of the angels, under which is the soul. The church leadership, who visited the church shortly before the opening ceremony, this fresco caused questions and rejection. After the opening of the cathedral, a special commission was created. According to her conclusion in May 1907, it was decided to leave the fresco.

The church pulpit is decorated with blackthorn branches and wings entangled in these branches.

One very interesting effect can be observed in the cathedral: in clear weather, in the rays of the setting sun, which pass through the blue glass of the stained-glass window, this decor begins to look more voluminous and turns blue. This results in a twilight blue background.

Almost around the entire perimeter of the cathedral there is a fresco "Garland of Life" by Hugo Simberg, depicting 12 boys carrying a garland of roses. The woven roses represent the Garland of Life, and the boys symbolize how each of us carries our life load. It is believed that in the boys the artist saw the twelve apostles - the disciples of Jesus. On both sides, the fresco ends with a mysterious forest, representing the symbol of the underworld.

On the western wall is a fresco based on one of Hugo Simberg's most famous works, "The Wounded Angel" ("Haavoittunut enkeli"). Gloomy Finnish boys, in whose faces one can read sadness and remorse, carry an angel with a broken wing, symbolizing heavenly purity, on a stretcher. Simberg painted this picture in 1903, recovering from a serious illness. The original painting, for which the artist received the State Prize for Art, is now in the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki. This is what the painting in the museum looks like:

On the fresco in the cathedral, Simberg added factory chimneys to the background of the landscape, which are still an integral part of the industrial city in the past.

The arches of the side aisles of the cathedral hold massive concrete pillars, which are decorated with rather original lamps of the same time with open lamps. Unfortunately, the new energy-saving lamps distort the initial effect a little.

The windows are decorated with stained-glass windows.

On the east wall is a fresco by Hugo Simberg "The Garden of Death" ("Kuoleman puutarha"). The artist completed this work in several versions, the most famous of which are watercolors of 1896 and a fresco in the cathedral in Tampere. Three black-robed skeletons, intentionally flat, are busy sorting the human souls depicted as plants in purgatory. Human souls are depicted as plants in need of constant care, and the garden is presented as a place where death can express its feelings. The fresco is deliberately executed in a primitive manner. The plot of the fresco goes back to the medieval tradition, and the primitive style should be reminiscent of the work of the Gothic masters.

The organ with 50 registers was made in the city of Lahti by master Albanus Jurva. In 1929, 18 more registers were added. This is one of the best organs in Finland. To the right of the organ is Hugo Simberg's stained glass "Pelican Feeding a Chick with Its Blood".

Organ music concerts are regularly held in the cathedral.

Photo reports and reviews about the trip and visiting the sights of the Tampere Cathedral. Photo report about Tampere Cathedral, the history of where it is located

Questions for experts and advice All questions Ask

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• Feedback to Photo 24 My winter holidays in Tampere But to our surprise, the Orthodox Church in Tampere was also tightly closed and it was proposed to come only the next day on the 7th in the morning at 8 o'clock. By the way, when we were next to each other at 11 o'clock in the morning, the church was also closed - apparently everyone had already left :) January 29, 2014
• Feedback to Photo 23 My winter holidays in Tampere On the evening of the same day, on the eve of our Orthodox Christmas - around ten in the evening on January 6, we decided to take a walk to the local churches and see if anyone was preparing and how for Christmas. The Lutheran church was closed long ago. January 29, 2014
• Feedback to Photo 22 My winter holidays in Tampere There, in the museum, we passed the "agent test" - something like an interactive game around the museum - you complete tasks - you gain points. I took great pleasure in solving Morse code and looking for a secret room. Upon completion, we were given certificates and "distributed" us to different intelligence agencies of the world. The husband who scored the maximum points was assigned to ... Finnish intelligence! James Bond is on vacation January 29, 2014
• Feedback to Photo 21 My winter holidays in Tampere And all the exhibits are not fake - everything is real. I suspect that the museum's storerooms also contain the most modern spy bells and whistles, but the statute of limitations does not allow them to be put on display yet :) January 29, 2014
• Feedback to Photo 20 My winter holidays in Tampere"Museum of espionage" - a lot of fun. I read in the reviews that some did not like it - they say, there are few exhibits and not interesting. This means they were without a tour and did not understand anything. On the tour, we learned so many interesting things and facts about things and facts - the world of intrigue and secrets :))) Even my most erudite and well-read acquaintances still do not know about some events and inventions. January 29, 2014

Tampere is located in Western Finland between two picturesque lakes - Näsijärvi in ​​the north and Pyhäjärvi in ​​the south. The city is an excellent example of how a major industrial center through the efforts of architects, designers and environmentalists, as if by magic, acquired an attractive appearance and turned into a popular center of tourism and recreation.

Walking along its streets, you will certainly be surprised at the ingenuity of local architects who arranged museum and entertainment complexes, restaurant "conglomerates" and just places to relax in the buildings of former industrial enterprises. The city has a reddish tint, because red brick was used to build factories, and even modern buildings are now built from the same material or in the same factory style.

The old high-rise dominant of the city is. Contrary to tradition, it is located not on the central square (Keskustori), but on the side - on the opposite bank of the Tammerkoski River, in the Jussinkylä region. Separates it from the center no more than 15 minutes leisurely walk. If you do not know that this is a church, at first you might think that in the middle of the square there is a Gothic castle with stone turrets and spiers covered with red tiles. The cathedral is very picturesque and is a real decoration of the city.

The temple was erected in 1902-1907, and it received the status of a cathedral in 1923, when Tampere became the capital of the diocese. His appearance was created architect Lars Sonck and decorated artists Hugo Simberg and Magnus Enkel. The church was designed in the style of Finnish National Romanticism. You should definitely look here to see the famous altar fresco, as well as stained-glass windows, which at first caused a real scandal, and now have become recognized masterpieces.

Walks along the edge of the choirs fresco by Hugo Simberg, depicting twelve naked boys carrying a garland of roses, personifying life's hardships. Judging by the artist's notes, in such an unusual way he captured the disciples of Jesus. On both sides, the fresco is bordered by a dark forest thicket, symbolizing the afterlife. No less impressive Fresco "Garden of Death" where flowers are cared for by skeletons. The image of a gardener who presses an unusual blue flower in a pot to his chest, looking at you with empty eye sockets, remains in the memory for a long time.

Fresco "Garden of Death"

Southern choir adorns fresco "Wounded angel". The painting depicts sullen boys carrying an angel on a stretcher with bloodstains on snow-white wings. Sadness and remorse can be read on the faces of the porters. For this work, the author received a state award in the field of art. Very beautiful stained glass windows Simberg, created using the lead glaze method. The plots for them - the dove of the Holy Spirit, the Burning Bush, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Pelican feeding the cubs with the blood of his heart - are taken from the Bible.

The central place in the temple is occupied by the altar fresco "Resurrection" the work of Magnus Enckel. It depicts the classic biblical story of the resurrection of the dead. The unusualness of the picture lies in the original interpretation of the canonical plot - people of a completely modern appearance rise from the graves, moreover, representatives of different human races. This caused embarrassment for the church.

Fresco "Resurrection"

During the service in the cathedral, you can hear the sound body, which has 68 registers. The first large instrument for the temple was made in the city of Kangasala. In 1982, a smaller organ was installed, which is better suited to baroque music. The church is famous for its excellent acoustics, so not only services are held here, but also concerts. The hall can accommodate up to 2 thousand people.

In August, you can see the procedure in the Cathedral confirmations is one of the Christian mysteries. It is performed on a person once in a lifetime, like baptism. Unlike baptism, which can take place in infancy, confirmation is performed on adolescents at the age of 13-14, since it is believed that this sacrament means the final introduction of a Christian into church society, and therefore should be performed at a conscious age. This day is considered a big family holiday - children come to church in white robes, accompanied by their parents. Without going through the confirmation procedure in the future, it is impossible to get married in a church.