A statue of Martin Luther by sculptor Ville Vallgren inside Helsinki Cathedral.
"The Lutheran Cathedral was built in 1830-1852 to replace an earlier church from 1727. The church is Greek cruciform in shape, and the original neoclassical design by Carl Engel was altered by his successor, Ernst Lohrmann. Lohrmann added four small towers and two side buildings of which one is a belfry, and the other is a chapel. There are statues of the Apostles made of zinc on the roof, and they are the biggest unique set of zinc sculptures in the world. The altarpiece was painted in the 1880s, and the statues of angels on both sides of the altarpiece and the pulpit were designed by Engel. The seating capacity is 1300. The church was called St. Nicholas church until the independence of Finland in 1917. Since 1959, it became a Cathedral, and is called Helsinki Cathedral or the Lutheran Cathedral."
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"Martin Luther, (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk, and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.
Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the Catholic view on indulgences. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses of 1517. His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.
Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider teachings, are called Lutherans, though Luther insisted on Christian or Evangelical (German: evangelisch) as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ.
His translation of the Bible into the German vernacular (instead of Latin) made it more accessible to the laity, an event that had a tremendous impact on both the church and German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the writing of an English translation, the Tyndale Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in Protestant churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant clergy to marry.
In two of his later works, Luther expressed antagonistic views towards Jews. His rhetoric was not alone directed at Jews, but also towards Roman Catholics (whom Protestants labeled "Papists"), Anabaptists, and nontrinitarian Christians. Martin Luther died in 1546, with his decree of excommunication by Pope Leo X still effective. On his deathbed, Luther was asked: "Are you ready to die trusting in your Lord Jesus Christ and to confess the doctrine which you have taught in his name?" He answered "Yes", before taking his final breath."
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Suomi -
"Luterilainen katedraali rakennettiin vuosina 1830-1852 entisen kirkon tilalle vuodelta 1727. Kirkko on kreikkalaisen ristin muotoinen, ja Carl Engelin alkuperäistä klassista muotoilua muutti hänen seuraajansa Ernst Lohrmann. Lohrmann lisäsi neljä pientä tornia ja kaksi sivurakennusta, joista yksi on kellotapuli ja toinen kappeli. Katolla on sinkin kaltaisia patsaita patsaita, ja ne ovat maailman suurin sinkki-veistosten joukko. Alttaritaulu maalattiin 1880-luvulla, ja enkelien patsaat alttarikappaleen molemmilla puolilla ja saarnatuoli olivat Engelin suunnittelema. Istuinkapasiteetti on 1300. Kirkko oli nimeltään Pyhän Nikolauksen kirkko, kunnes Suomen itsenäisyys alkoi vuonna 1917. Vuodesta 1959 alkaen se tuli katedraaliksi, ja sitä kutsutaan Helsingin tuomiokirkoksi tai luterilainen katedraali."
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"Martti Luther (10. marraskuuta 1483 Eisleben, Saksi – 18. helmikuuta 1546 Eisleben) oli saksalainen munkki ja teologi, jonka opetukset käynnistivät uskonpuhdistuksen katolisessa kirkossa ja johtivat protestanttisen luterilaisen kirkkokunnan syntymiseen.
Luther piti Raamatun kääntämistä latinasta kansan kielelle tärkeänä. Hänen raamatunkäännöksensä ja muu kirjoitustyönsä kehittivät saksan kirjakieltä, ja hän oli tunnettu myös aktiivisena yhteiskunnallisena vaikuttajana. Luther oli myös hyvin musikaalinen; hän sepitti itse useita sävelmiä, joista tunnetuin on protestanttisissa kirkoissa tunnettu koraali Jumala ompi linnamme (Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott).
Luther kuoli 18. helmikuuta 1546 syntymäkaupungissaan. Hänet haudattiin Wittenbergin linnankirkkoon."
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