sv, Tempelplatsens kyrka , native_name_lang = , image = Temppeliaukio Church Helsinki.jpg , caption = Interior of Rock Church as seen from the balcony. , coordinates = , location =

Töölö Töölö (; sv, Tölö, formerly spelled ''Thölö'') is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö ( sv, Främre Tölö, lit=Front Töölö, links=no) and Taka-Töölö ( sv, Bortre Tölö, lit=Rear Töölö, links=no) in Helsink ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

, country =

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 ...

, denomination =

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko; sv, Evangelisk-lutherska kyrkan i Finland) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal positio ...

, previous denomination = , churchmanship = , membership = , attendance = , website = , former name = , bull date = , founded date = , founder = , dedication = , dedicated date = , consecrated date = , cult = , relics = , events = , past bishop = , chaplain = , status = active , functional status = , heritage designation = , designated date = , architect = Timo Suomalainen

Tuomo Suomalainen Tuomo Oskari Suomalainen (born 29 November 1931 in Gogland, Finland died 1 November 1988) was a Finnish architect. He worked very closely with his brother Timo Suomalainen who also was an architect. Most of the works they designed jointly. Thei ...

, architectural type = , groundbreaking = February 1968 , completed date = , construction cost = , closed date = , demolished date = , capacity = 750 , parish = Temppeliaukio , diocese = Helsinki diocese Temppeliaukio Church ( fi, Temppeliaukion kirkko, sv, Tempelplatsens kyrka) is a

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

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

in the

neighborhood of

. The church was designed by architects and brothers

Timo Timo is a masculine given name. It is primarily used in Finnish, Estonian, Dutch and German societies. It may be used as an abbreviation of Timothy. Arts and entertainment *Timo Alakotila (born 1959), Finnish musician * Timo Andres (born 1985), ...

and

and opened in 1969. Built directly into solid rock, it is also known as the Church of the Rock and Rock Church.

History and architecture

Plans for the Temppeliaukio/Tempelplatsen (Temple square) began as early as the 1930s when a plot of land was selected for the building and a competition for the design was held. The plan by J. S. Siren, the winner of the second competition to design the architecture of the church, was interrupted in its early stages when

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

began in 1939. After the war, there was another architectural competition, subsequently won by Timo Suomalainen and Tuomo Suomalainen in 1961. For economic reasons, the suggested plan was scaled back and the interior space of the church then reduced to about one-quarter of its original plan. Construction finally began in February 1968, and the rock-temple was completed for consecration in September 1969. The interior was excavated and built directly out of solid rock and is bathed in natural light which enters through the skylight surrounding the center copper dome. The church is used frequently as a concert venue due to its excellent acoustics. The acoustic quality is created by the rough, virtually unworked rock surfaces. The iconic rock walls were not included in the original competition entry, even though the Suomalainen brothers had considered the idea, because they believed that it was too radical for the competition jury. But when conductor

Paavo Berglund Paavo Allan Engelbert Berglund (14 April 192925 January 2012) was a Finnish conductor and violinist. Career Born in Helsinki, Berglund studied the violin as a child, and played an instrument made by his grandfather. By age 15, he had decided on ...

shared his knowledge of acoustics from some of the best music halls and the acoustical engineer Mauri Parjo gave requirements for the wall surfaces, the Suomalainen brothers discovered that they could fulfill all the requirements for the acoustics by leaving the rock walls exposed in the Church Hall. The Temppeliaukio church is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city; half a million people visit it annually. The stone-hewn church is located in the heart of Helsinki. Maintaining the original character of the square is the fundamental concept behind the building. The idiosyncratic choice of form has made it a favorite with professionals and aficionados of architecture. The church furnishings were designed by the architects. Organ builder Veikko Virtanen manufactured the

church organ Carol Williams performing at the United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel.">West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. ...

, which has 43 stops and 3001 pipes. There are no bells at the church; a recording of bells composed by

Taneli Kuusisto Taneli Kuusisto (19 June 1905 – 30 March 1988) was a Finnish composer, music critic, teacher and choir leader. His son is composer Ilkka Kuusisto, and his grandsons composer Jaakko Kuusisto and musician Pekka Kuusisto Pekka Kuusisto (born ...

is played via loudspeakers on the exterior wall. Before the construction of the church was even fully complete it made headlines when on the nights of 16 and 17 July 1968 a group of Christian students painted in large letters "BIAFRA" in several places on the exterior walls of the building to bring attention to the famine then going on in

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

, which had declared independence from

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

in 1967. The argument of the students - then part of the '60s student revolutionary movement - was that the money spent on the new lavish church could be better spent on aid to Biafra and elsewhere in Africa.Lauri Malkavaara, "Punapappi ei unohda Biafraa", Helsingin Sanomien Kuukausiliite, 3/1993, p. 94.

Gallery

File:Temppeliaukio Church 1.jpg, The copper dome roof of the church File:Temppeliaukio Church 2.jpg, Pipe organ from the balcony File:Eingang Felsenkirche Helsinki.jpg, Entrance to the church File:11-07-29-helsinki-by-RalfR-030.jpg, Underside of the copper church roof File:Temppeliaukio Church Interior.JPG, An ice-age crevice used as the altarpiece File:Confirmation in Temppeliaukio Church.jpg, A Lutheran confirmation service File:11-07-29-helsinki-by-RalfR-024.jpg, Detail of the Entrance

References

External links

Töölö Congregation: the congregation that uses Temppeliaukio ChurchPicture of Church and short history
{{Authority control Cave churches Churches completed in 1969 Lutheran churches in Helsinki 20th-century churches in Finland Modernist architecture in Finland Töölö