Aleksanterin Church in Tampere (Finland)
Lutheran Church in Tampere city
Aleksanterin Church — is a Lutheran church in the city of Tampere. The height of the church is 57.5 meters, the length – 60 meters. The church’s capacity is 1,200 seats.
The name of the church is related to Russian Emperor Alexander II, who on March 2, 1880, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his reign. On this day, the first stone was laid into the church’s foundation. The project of the temple in Neo-Gothic style was designed by architect Theodor Decker. The church was sanctified on November 27, 1881.
The altarpiece was painted in 1883 by artist Alexandra Såltin at the expense of an anonymous benefactor. The pulpit for sermons was made according to the project of architect Theodor Decker.
In 1937, the church was reconstructed in the fashion of National Romanticism according to the project of architect Bertel Strömmer, but during the reconstruction a fire broke out (a warehouse with paints caught on fire), the consequences of which were finally fixed by December 1938. In the process of remodeling, the altar section which had been once open was closed with walls, and on the second floor a little chapel and several prayer rooms were built. The altar piece was painted by Antti Salmenlinnan.
During the restoration works of 1980, the building of the church recovered its original appearance.
Originally, the organ for the Aleksanterin Kirkko was borrowed form the old cathedral which was standing on the central square. In 1885, the church bought its own organ, but it was destroyed by fire in 1937. Nevertheless, the organ’s facade has remained till our days, and the new organ was produced in the organ workshop of city Kangasala according to the project of Arne Vegelius. The instrument has 55 organ stops.
The reliefs of the second tier were made by Evert Porila according to the theme of the Sermon on the Mount.
The Crypt was finished in 2008 according to the project of architect Mikko Suominen. The old supports of the church were organically incorporated into the structure of the new interior.