Oulu Cathedral ( fi, Oulun tuomiokirkko, sv, Uleåborgs domkyrka) is an

Evangelical Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

and the seat of the

Diocese of Oulu The Diocese of Oulu ( fi, Oulun hiippakunta) is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The diocese was first founded in the town of Kuopio in 1851, but the episcopal see was moved to Oulu in 1900. Bishops Bishops of Kuopio ...

, located in the

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

of Oulu,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The church was built in 1777 as a tribute to the King of Sweden

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

and named after his wife as Sofia Magdalena's church. The wooden structures burned in the large fire of the city of Oulu in 1822. The church was built again on top of the old stone walls with famous architect

Carl Ludvig Engel Carl Ludvig Engel, or Johann Carl Ludwig Engel (3 July 1778 – 14 May 1840), was a German architect whose most noted work can be found in Helsinki, which he helped rebuild. His works include most of the buildings around the capital's monumental ...

as the designer. The restoration works were completed in 1832, but the belfry was not erected until 1845.

External links

Evangelical Lutheran parishes in OuluOulu Cathedral
– Official website

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

Carl Ludvig Engel buildings Lutheran cathedrals in Finland Churches completed in 1777 Pokkinen Neoclassical church buildings in Finland {{Finland-church-stub