The Tampere Cathedral is located in Tampere, Finland's third largest city. It is among the most significant National Romantic buildings in Finland. At the time the cathedral was built, Finland was still under Russian rule. Many of the buildings built at the time reflected a strong sense of Finnish nationalism. Elements of National Romanticism in the cathedral are reflected throughout the building materials used in the church, which were all Finnish. For instance, the pews inside the church are made of Finnish spruce and birch, and were painted green to reflect Finland's many forests. When the cathedral was completed, it stood as a testament of the people's strong will for Finnish Independence from Russia.
The cathedral is also well known for its paintings and stained glass windows, which were the works of Hugo Simberg, a notable Finnish Symbolist artist and painter and Magnus Enckell, a pioneer of Symbolism in art.
This image was taken in 1996 by John Schooley, FAIA, during an architectural tour of Finland.
