Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki, Finland

Uspenski Cathedral is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary). The cathedral was designed by the Russian architect Alexey Gornostaev (1808–1862), but it was built after his death in 1862-1868. It was made of bricks brought mainly from Bomarsund fortress in Åland which had been destroyed during the Crimean War in 1854.

Uspenski cathedral represents the Slavonic architecture, but the interior has a strong Byzantine influence. The cathedral has also several valuable icons. With its golden cupolas and redbrick facade, the cathedral is one of the clearest symbols of the Russian impact on Finnish history. It’s very popular tourist attraction with half million annual visits.

User Reviews

Vagelis Antoniadis (4 months ago)
The red brick used for building it, make it unique and visible from far away.

Michael A. (4 months ago)
Beautiful Cathedral. Wasn't able to go inside, but it looks great on the outside. There's a small park next to it.

jiwi (4 months ago)
Worth a visit if you can and easy to reach by public transport. Try to catch a concert there if you have a chance.

Irene Cotrina (5 months ago)
It's so surprising to see an ornate orthodox church amongst the severe, straight lined, Lutheran ones in Finland! The church is very imposing and, in the winter's days, surrounded by snow and half hidden in the mist, it looks as it came out of a fairy tale book. Worth a visit!

Anthony Stevenson (5 months ago)
A beautiful, imposing cathedral, externally with expansive views across the city and, internally a large open space strikingly illuminated by large windows in the walls and domes. Slightly disappointed that tourists were hemmed into just one side and unable to wander around, however, it was clearly in use by worshippers. Immobile visitors may find the trek uphill challenging.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright szeke

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The Church of Our Lady before Týn is a dominant feature of the Old Town of Prague and has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. The church's towers are 80 m high and topped by four small spires.

In the 11th century, this area was occupied by a Romanesque church, which was built there for foreign merchants coming to the nearby Týn Courtyard. Later it was replaced by an early Gothic Church of Our Lady before Týn in 1256. Construction of the present church began in the 14th century in the late Gothic style under the influence of Matthias of Arras and later Peter Parler. By the beginning of the 15th century, construction was almost complete; only the towers, the gable and roof were missing. The church was controlled by Hussites for two centuries, including John of Rokycan, future archbishop of Prague, who became the church's vicar in 1427. The roof was completed in the 1450s, while the gable and northern tower were completed shortly thereafter during the reign of George of Poděbrady (1453–1471). His sculpture was placed on the gable, below a huge golden chalice, the symbol of the Hussites. The southern tower was not completed until 1511, under architect Matěj Rejsek.

After the lost Battle of White Mountain (1620) began the era of harsh recatholicisation (part of the Counter-Reformation). Consequently, the sculptures of 'heretic king' George of Poděbrady and the chalice were removed in 1626 and replaced by a sculpture of the Virgin Mary, with a giant halo made from by melting down the chalice. In 1679 the church was struck by lightning, and the subsequent fire heavily damaged the old vault, which was later replaced by a lower baroque vault.

Renovation works carried out in 1876–1895 were later reversed during extensive exterior renovation works in the years 1973–1995. Interior renovation is still in progress.

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The early baroque altarpiece has paintings by Karel Škréta from around 1649. The oldest pipe organ in Prague stands inside this church. The organ was built in 1673 by Heinrich Mundt and is one of the most representative 17th-century organs in Europe.

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