.png)
Taking a Look at the Iconic Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki, Finland
Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki, Finland
Hello
world, it’s been a while? 2017 has been unpretentiously generous to every
single human being on this planet, so it is only fair to say that my reason for
this blog post delay on the first day of 2018 is all because of the jetlag of
events that over spilled from the year that has been. Am I glad that 2017 is
over? Maybe yes, maybe no. Am I looking forward to what 2018 has up its sleeve?
Most likely yes. I am just thankful that I still get the chance to keep the
wanderlust skill at the center of everything, despite #adulting and fomo, yolo,
and all those bucket list ideologies. Truth is, this isn’t intended to be a
personal post of any kind, which is why I will jump back to my agenda for this
post: Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki,
Finland.
Being the stereotypical spiritual Asian that I
am, I am always instantly drawn to anything related to churches, even if it’s
not really meant to be a landmark or a must visit in a new place. It is
certainly not because I have a long list of prayer to-do’s (although, that’ll
be a good idea), but it’s most certainly because of the overall design and
personification of the place. There’s a distinctive showmanship of value and
innovation that a faith-driven place can imbibe, and churches like this
Lutheran church in the Töölö neighborhood of Helsinki displays clearly.
The
emppeliaukion kirkko was skillfully designed by architects and brothers Timo
and Tuomo Suomalainen in 1969. Built directly into solid rock, it is also known
as the Church of the Rock and Rock Church, where half a million people visits
it annually. The idiosyncratic choice of form, with space-ship like form, which
natural light seeping in the place, has made it a favorite with professionals
and aficionados of architecture. As soon as I entered the religious sight,
after braving the ice-cold Helsinki winter, all my worries melted away with one
glimpse of the church furnishings, including the iconic church organ which has 43 stops and 3001 pipes. It looks
pretty grand!
With its
copper dome, exposed rocks and concrete beams inside the church, you can see
strangely spectacular shadows cast across the walls from the light streaming
through the windows to the alter wall. It looks even promising once all the
flock of tourists move away from it, and all that’s left are your silence and
admiration. Of course when we went to the second floor, it’s also an even
interesting vista, so you better find time to go up and see it from this angle.
Temppeliaukio
Church in Helsinki, Finland is a great reminder to me that life can be
unpretentiously generous if you know where to look for opportunities and how to
appreciate the current ones. Plus, it’s always a good idea to visit places of
worship as it gives you a chance to appreciate devotion at a whole new (rock)
level. Shalom.
Address:
Lutherinkatu 3, 00100 Helsinki
Opening
hours: Mon - Sat 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M., Sun 11:45 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
[FINLAND TRAVEL] Read the rest of Explore Finland Travel Blog Series:
0 Wandering Thoughts: