Turku Cathedral (, ) is the only medieval

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

in Finland and the

Mother Church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (; ) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheranism, Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal position as a national church in the country, along with the Orthodox Church o ...

. It is the central church of the Lutheran Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Lutheran Archbishop of Finland, Tapio Luoma. It is also regarded as one of the major records of Finnish architectural history. Considered to be the most important religious building in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, the cathedral has borne witness to many important events in the nation's history and has become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. The cathedral is situated in the heart of

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

next to the Old Great Square, by the river Aura. Its presence extends beyond the local precinct by having the sound of its bells chiming at noon broadcast on national radio. It is also central to Finland's annual

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

celebrations. The cathedral was originally built out of wood in the late 13th century, and was dedicated as the main cathedral of Finland in 1300, the seat of the Catholic bishop of Turku. It was considerably expanded in the 14th and 15th centuries, mainly using stone as the construction material. The cathedral was badly damaged during the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, and was rebuilt to a great extent afterwards.

History

As the town of Turku began to emerge in the course of the 13th century as the most important trading centre in Finland, the Bishop's see of the Diocese of Finland was transferred from its previous location at Koroinen, some distance further up on the bank of Aura river, to the middle of the town. By the end of the 13th century, a new stone church had been completed on the site of the former wooden-built parish church on Unikankare Mound, and it was consecrated on 17 June 1300 by Bishop Magnus I as the Cathedral Church of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and Saint Henry, the first Bishop of Finland. At its earliest the cathedral was smaller than the present building. Its east front was where the pulpit stands now, and its roof was considerably lower than at the moment. Extensions were made to the cathedral throughout the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. One of the cathedral's most well-known skull relic dates from this period. During the 14th century a new

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

was added, from which the octagonal Gothic pillars in the present

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

originate. Throughout the Middle Ages, the

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

was located opposite the easternmost pillars of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, until it was transferred to its present location in the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

, in what had previously been the

Chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

of All Saints, in the mid-17th century. During the 15th century, side-chapels were added along the north and south sides of the nave, containing altars dedicated to various saints. One of which is the reliquary tomb of Bishop Hemming of Turku (1290–1366) surviving from the medieval period. He was the 12th bishop of Turku died in 1366. Bishop Hemming was a significant benefactor to the Turku Cathedral, overseeing major restorations in the 14th century. He was also a close friend of the Saint Birgitta of Sweden. After he died he originally was buried in the choir of the Turku Cathedral. However, in 1514 his remains were relocated to a niche on the north aisle of the church as he had been recognized as blessed by

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Med ...

, and thus his remains gained a new reliquary status. The reliquary container is a wooden chest decorated in the style of the early 16th century, though its colors are dulled over time, and now only traces of gold, yellow, blue and red remain, it is still easy to see that it would have been bright and colorful when it was first made. The niche is located next to the pulpit, in a rather dark and not clearly visible spot, thought the niche and the location by the aisle make it easily accessible, which would have been important feature due to its reliquary status. Another historically important figure buried in the Turku Cathedral is Queen consort Karin Månsdotter (1550–1612). She was the Queen of Sweden for a short period alongside

Erik XIV Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He w ...

but lived many decades of her life in the current day Finland. Upon her death in 1612 she was buried under the floor of the Tott Chapel on the south side of the cathedral. She was first buried to the Tott Chapel Tott family. In the 1860s her remains were raised from the burial vault by the Memorial Committee and they were moved to the Kankas Chapel in which she now resides in a black marble sarcophagus decorated with a crown resting on a golden pillow. The chapel itself is decorated in the 19th century after the Great Fire of Turku in 1827. By the end of the Middle Ages there were 42 side chapels in total. The roof-vaults were also raised during the latter part of the 15th century to their present height of 24 meters. Thus, by the beginning of the

Modern era The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

, the church had approximately taken on its present shape. The major later addition to the cathedral is the tower, which has been rebuilt several times, as a result of repeated fires. The worst damage was caused by the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, when most of the town was destroyed, along with the interior of both the tower and the nave and the old tower roof. The present spire of the tower, constructed after the great fire, reaches a height of 101 meters above sea level, and is visible over a considerable distance as the symbol of both the cathedral and the city of Turku itself. In the reformation the cathedral was taken by the Lutheran Church of Finland (Sweden). Most of the present interior also dates from the restoration carried out in the 1830s, following the Great Fire. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

, depicting the

Transfiguration of Jesus The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event described in the New Testament where Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is Transfiguration (religion), transfigured and becomes radiant in Glory (religion), glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) r ...

, was painted in 1836 by the Swedish artist Fredrik Westin. The

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

behind the high altar, and the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

in the crossing, also both date from the 1830s, and were designed by German architect Carl Ludvig Engel, known in Finland for his several other highly regarded works. The walls and roof in the chancel are decorated with

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

s in the Romantic style by the court painter Robert Wilhelm Ekman, which depict events from the life of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, and the two key events in the history of the Finnish Church: the

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

of the first Finnish Christians by Bishop Henry by the spring at Kupittaa, and the presentation to King

Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...

by the Reformer Michael Agricola of the first Finnish translation of the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

. The cathedral houses three organs. The current main organ of the cathedral was built by Veikko Virtanen Oy of Espoo, Finland, in 1980, and features 81 ranks with a mechanical action.

Materials of the church

The first church in the location of the Turku Cathedral was made of wood, however, during the Middle Ages, the use of wood as a building material in cities was not recommended as a city-wide fire prevention method. The initial parts of the current church were constructed with grey stone and clay bricks, though the production of bricks was quite limited in Finland at the time and bricks were mainly used only for the church buildings. It is considered unusual that bricks would have been transported over long distances and therefore it is believed that brick production sites were generally built nearby the main construction site. Written records have been found mentioning a clay pit near the cathedral, owned by the local Dominican order. It is to be noted that many other churches remaining now from the medieval period are mainly made of stone and wood, and the use of brick was exceptional narrowed down to places that had brick making possibilities on site or nearby. The shaping of stone was still undeveloped in the 14th century in Finland and even though it was used for some churches and cellars it was not practical for more detailed use.

Notable people buried in the cathedral

* Blessed Bishop Hemming (–1366), Bishop of Turku * Paulus Juusten (1516–1576), Bishop of Viipuri and later Bishop of Turku * Karin Månsdotter (1550–1612), Queen of Sweden * Princess Sigrid of Sweden (1566–1633), Swedish princess * Samuel Cockburn (1574–1621), Scottish mercenary leader * Torsten Stålhandske (1593–1644), officer in the Swedish army during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

* Åke Henriksson Tott (1598–1640), Swedish soldier and politician

Gallery

File:Cathedral of Turku 1814.jpg, View before the Great Fire File:Åbo domkyrka cirka 1900.jpg, Cathedral in 1900 File:Turku Cathedral profile.jpg, View of the cathedral from Vartiovuori hill File:Turkucathedral.jpg, Interior view File:Unutar katedrale u Turkuu.jpg, Altar File:Turku Cathedral organ.jpg, The main organ File:Turku Dom Grab Karin Månsdotter.jpg, Tomb and burial monument of Catherine Månsdotter, the Queen of Sweden File:Votivskeppet barken “Turku” gavs år 1968 som gåva av Åbo skeppsbefälhavarförening till Åbo domkyrka, den 27 juni 2007.jpg, Votive ship File:Åbo domkyrka-Johan Knutson.png, Illustration in Finland framstäldt i teckningar edited by Zacharias Topelius and published 1845-1852.

References

External links