The Old Church of Tampere - Tampere, Finland
Posted by: 
marcius
N 61° 29.917 E 023° 45.647
34V E 646942 N 6821439
Nowadays known as the Old Church, the first church of Tampere was built in 1824 and consecrated on 11 April 1825.
Waymark Code: WM16FB2
Location: Finland
Date Posted: 07/20/2022
Views: 6
This neoclassical cruciform church was designed by Italian-born Carlo Bassi, the chief of the curatorial office in charge of national building projects. Starting the construction of the church was delayed due to disagreements on the location and construction materials and the general poverty of the people, which was why the authorities had granted special permission to build a wooden church despite unrelenting opposition from the parson of Messukylä and his supporters.
The bell-tower designed by Carl Ludvig Engel was built in 1828-1829 in the place of a manor cellar, at the end of Kauppakatu, and two church bells were placed in the tower. The church soon became too small for the growing city. In 1847, the church was extended by elongating the choir arm and building balconies in the cross arms.
Today the Old Church serves as the home church of the Swedish parish in Tampere. Immigrants living in the city also favour the church as a place of worship. The church can seat 310 people.