Helsinki Cathedral

Helsinki Cathedral is part of the Empire-style centre of Helsinki designed by architect Carl Ludvig Engel and the town planner Johan Albrecht Ehrenström. The Neoclassical church was designed by Engel, whose work was continued after his death by architect Ernst Bernhard Lohrmann. When the work to build the new town centre, in the variant of Neoclassical architecture called Empire, was begun, the Ulrika Eleonora Church – completed in 1727 in what is today’s Senate Square – was demolished. Today, the bell of the Ulrika Eleonora Church is installed in the central tower of Helsinki Cathedral.

The first drawings of the future Cathedral had been made by 1818, but it was 1852 before the church itself was consecrated. It was named the Nicholas Church for Nicholas I, the Russian tsar who had started the building project, as well as for St Nicholas. After independence, the name was changed to Suurkirkko in Finnish (Storkyrkan in Swedish), the Great Church. In 1959, when the Diocese of Helsinki was formed, the name was changed to Helsinki Cathedral.

The church is built in the shape of a Greek cross. The pediment rests on six Corinthian pillars. The façades are decorated with pilasters matching the columns. The outside wall is further decorated with reliefs of scenes from the life of Christ by an unknown artist and above the main door there is the Hebrew word for God, Jahve. The statues of the twelve Apostles adorning the north, south, east and west pediments comprise one of the world’s largest uniform collections of zinc sculptures. The central dome of the Cathedral rises to more than 80 metres above sea level.

Before Engel’s death, the Main Guard Post of Helsinki was located in front of the church, by the edge of Senate Square, which is flanked by the main building of Helsinki University and Government Palace. By an order of Nicholas I, this Guard Post was replaced by 60-meter-wide steps.

Helsinki Cathedral is open daily – for prayer, silent contemplation, and for people to look at the church – from 9 am. to 6 pm. Opening hours may sometimes be changed to accommodate church services or other parish events. The daily opening hours are shown at the bottom of the page.

Guided tours of the Cathedral can be booked. For more information, please contact Service Manager Anni Roiha by telephone 050 442 0050 or e-mail anni.roiha@evl.fi.