The church of Finlayson is an unique part of the industrial heritage in Tampere. The Finlayson metallurgy and cotton industry was the employer for thousands of people in the 19th century. The cotton mill was permitted to hire their own factory priest In 1846 and the red brick church was completed in 1879 near the gate of factory site.
The church was designed by the city architect F.L. Calonius and represents the British congregational church style. Organs were made by Hill & Son in London in 1850s and brought to the church by Finlayson owner Wilhelm von Nottbeck.
The parish of Finlayson consisted all cotton mill workers and their families. In the 19th century this was near half of all inhabitants in Tampere. In 1981 Oy Finlayson Ab donated church to the Parish of Tampere. Today it is a popular wedding church.
The stone church of Gamla Uppsala, built over the pagan temple, dates from the early 12th century. Due to fire and renovations, the present church is only a remnant of the original cathedral.
Before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of Swedish kings and a ceremonial site known all over northern Europe. The settlement was home to royal palaces, a royal burial ground, and a great pagan temple. The Uppsala temple, which was described in detail by Adam of Bremen in the 1070s, housed wooden statues of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr. A golden chain hung across its gables and the inside was richly decorated with gold. The temple had priests, who sacrificed to the gods according to the needs of the people.
The first Christian cathedral was probably built in the 11th century, but finished in the 12th century. The stone building may have been preceded by a wooden church and probably by the large pagan temple.