Uspenski Cathedral

The Orthodox Cathedral stands out above the city of Helsinki.  It is impossible to visit the port and not be aware of it standing on a hill and a massive rock.  Until today we have put off walking up to the church for a closer look.  Now of course, I wonder why we did not do this long ago.

The church was built under the "reign" of Nicholas II of Russia.  It sometimes considered the largest Orthodox church in western Europe.  I was so surprised at how small the interior actually is.  The building is square and there are no fixed pews.  So different from other churches that we have visited.  So many are built in the shape of a cross.  The altar is decorated with dozens of icons.  It looks magnificent and almost overpowering.  Definitely worth climbing up the hill.

In 2007 a valuable icon was stolen during the day while the church was filled with tourists.  The icon was in a small glass case and apparently simply picked up and carried away.  In 2010 another icon was stolen.  This time the thieves broke into the building during the night.  When an imprisoned thief confessed to the whereabouts of the icon, it was found badly damaged and buried in the ground in Turku.  It has since been restored and returned to the church.

Celebrating May

Our friend Markku told me that on May 1st everyone puts on their shorts even if it is snowing outside. I have to confess that I really believed him. On the first of May when we ventured forth, no one was wearing shorts. The sun was shining beautifully and the streets were full of people, but none of them had bare calves.  I guess that means that Finns are like the rest of us. The shorts and the flip flops come out when it gets warm. What we did see were yachting hats everywhere. Old people, young adults and everything in between. We finally figured out that the hats are symbols of having attended university. One site that I looked at said that the students get their hats after being in university for one year. In any case, we discovered that celebrating May 1st in Helsinki is all about those good, old pagan roots and has nothing to do with men's and women's working rights. The night before is really the big celebration. I did not take the photograph of the young men being lowered by some type of giant student hat. They are there to put a hat on the fountain at which point the fountain comes to life for another summer.

Apparently the fountain is not the only statue that gets a special student's cap.  This is a university building.  If you look below you'll see the two giraffes looking over the balcony to see what we are doing.

Students of the local universities gather at the Havis Amanda statue in central Helsinki, Finland, April 30, 2012. Students put a cap on the statue during a ceremony on Walpurgis Day (Vappu), a carnival-style festival held in Finland on April 30 and May 1.

During the past week or so, this type of pants have been showing up on students all over the city.  Mostly I have seen red shiny one.  They look exactly like they should be on a car at a Nascar event.  I don't know if these are patches from locations where they have traveled or bars they have visited.  I keep meaning to ask someone or take a picture of someone, but I haven't found the courage to do so yet.  No. The professor and I did not hit the bars and drink and sing with all of the students over the holidays.  However, it would have been an excellent venue for asking nosy questions.  

According to this link, the city of Helsinki arms itself and is ready for the waste that will accumulate during the holiday.  We have certainly seen a lot of port-a-potties in public locations.  However, judging from the few that are at the square and the few at the airport waiting areas, Finns can wait a lot longer between "restroom" stops than I can.

Despite our lack of rowdy celebrating, we enjoyed the holiday.  It is fun to see half the adult population of Helsinki wearing white hats and the families out together.  One thing we did notice in a park where we stopped was that although there were gatherings of family and friends and even a few "footballs" lying on the grass no one was playing ball.  Neither of us think that an American park would have had so much quiet picnicking going on.  We even saw a family with a portable BBQ and six guys carrying lunch a huge bottle of water.  But no athletes despite the fact that there was a huge field waiting for someone to come out and play.

Going to Church

St John's or Johanneksenkirkko 

is a Lutheran church designed by the Swedish architect Adolf Melander.  It is built in the Gothic Revival style.  Johanne's church stands on a hill.  It is the largest stone church in Finland and because of its large seating capacity is still used for concerts.  The acoustics are excellent.  The church was built from 1888 to 1893.  The altar piece was not painted until 1932.  The artist Eero Jamefelt was the brother-in-law of Sibelius.   

The stain glass above these entry doors was the only colored glass that I could see in the building.  

Temple in the Rock or Church in the Rock/Rock Church 

is located close to downtown Helsinki. In Finnish it is known as Temppeliaukio Kirkko.  This is an extraordinary building and even more unusual, I think, because it is a place of worship.  Its  official website invites people to inquire about becoming part of the congregation.  

This unusual Lutheran church was created by blasting out the interior of a massive rock. The city of Helsinki is peppered with enormous rocks. Most of the structures are built on top of them. The construction was begun in February 1968 and completed in September of 1969.  A plan for the church was accepted in 1930 but because of WW II was delayed.  A new architectural competition was won by architects Timo Suomalainen and Tuomo Suomalainen in 1961.  Below the church is a bomb shelter that will protect 6000 people.

Because of the acoustics the building is frequently used for concerts.  While visiting the church yesterday recorded music was playing.  With the natural lighting coming from above, the atmosphere of the church invites contemplation. 
  

The pews and chairs in the church are blue with a mauve fabric covering the seats.  On the altar where flowers matching the mauve accents on the benches.