Tampere Cathedral, Tampere, Finland

The national romantic cathedral was designed by Lars Sonck and built between 1902 and 1907. In the beginning of the 20th century Russification was a governmental policy of the Russian Empire aimed at limiting the special status of the Grand Duchy of Finland and possibly the termination of its autonomy. This caused the rise of the national romanticism in Finland and Tampere Cathedral was one of the most remarkable examples of the new national spirit.

The cathedral is famous for its frescoes, painted by renowned symbolist Hugo Simberg. The paintings aroused considerable critique in their time, featuring versions of Simberg's The Wounded Angel and The Garden of Death. Of particular controversy was Simberg's painting of a winged serpent on a red background in the highest point of the ceiling, which his contemporaries interpreted as a symbol of sin and corruption.

User Reviews

Jarmo Tarvainen (2 years ago)
My child hood chruch. Hugo Simberg did draw art on churc

Beatriz Piacesi (2 years ago)
The atmosphere is very nice ?? took some pictures for my portfolio

Riikka (2 years ago)
A beautiful church with wonderful wall paintings including Hugo Simberg's Wounded Angel. A good place to sit down in silence and take a moment.

Marie Aissa Gamiao (2 years ago)
I was amazed. The most beautiful church I've been. Must visit when you're in Tampere.

Marco Giustiniani (2 years ago)
A bit controversial, but, you are not indifferent to the themes and the beauty of the cathedral, something to absolutely see. Both inside and outside is outstanding.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.

Tampere Cathedral

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche