Alexander Church & The Church Park, Tampere, Finland

The neogothic Alexander Church was built in 1880-1881. The church was named after the Russian tzar Alexander II. It was damaged badly by fire in 1937, but renovated next year.

Nearby the church is Pyynikki Church Park, which functioned as a cemetery from the year 1785 to the late 1880's. Although the cemetery site has been a park over over hundred years, there are still many old tombstones existing. According the legend after Finnish Civil War (1918) many people were buried to the mass grave near the church.

User Reviews

Antero Kangas (8 months ago)
Tyylikäs kirkko. Tampereen toiseksi vanhin kirkko. Se piti alunperin rakentaa Keskustorin kulmalle ja sen jälkeen sitä suunniteltiin nykyisen Mika Visan paikalle. Tämän kirkon rakentaminen oli edellytys, että Tampere sai erota Messukylän seurakunnasta ja että Tampereen seurakunta saatiin perustaa. Rakennusaikana kirkko kuitenkin paloi melkein kokonaan, mutta rakennettiin uudestaan ja uusi seurakunta perustettiin.

Tuomas Eerola (2 years ago)
A pretty regular church. Tuomasmessu is nice.

Nils Haccius (3 years ago)
Nothing special. No colored windows and very plain facility

Zak Henderson (3 years ago)
Beautiful Church

Esa Toivola (3 years ago)
Church nr. 2 in Tampere. Open church with people coming and going. Side altars for kids.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright szeke

Historic Site of the week

Church of Our Lady before Týn

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.

The northern portal is a wonderful example of Gothic sculpture from the Parler workshop, with a relief depicting the Crucifixion. The main entrance is located on the church's western face, through a narrow passage between the houses in front of the church.

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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Alexander Church & The Church Park

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Church of Our Lady before Týn

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