Holy Trinity Church, Vaasa

The Vaasa Holy Trinity Church (Finnish: Vaasan kirkko; Swedish: Vasas trefaldighetskyrkan), or simply the Vaasa Church, is a church located in the city center of Vaasa in Ostrobothnia, Finland.[2] The 900-seat red-brick church, designed by architect Carl Axel Setterberg, was completed in 1869.[1]

Vaasa Holy Trinity Church
Finnish: Vaasan kirkko
Swedish: Trefaldighetskyrkan
Religion
AffiliationEvangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusChurch (building)
Location
LocationVaasa, Finland
Geographic coordinates63°05′40.96″N 021°36′36.43″E / 63.0947111°N 21.6101194°E / 63.0947111; 21.6101194
Architecture
Architect(s)Carl Axel Setterberg[1]
StyleEnglish Gothic[1]
Completed1869[1]
Specifications
Capacity900
MaterialsBrick[1]

Vaasa Church is a long church with three naves. In terms of style, the church mainly represents English Gothic. There are three altarpieces in the church, each painted by Albert Edelfelt, R. W. Ekman and Louis Sparre.[1][3] There are a total of about 900 seats in the hall and galleries of the church, and 130 in the crypt downstairs. The church's 45-voice main pipe organ was acquired in 1975 and is manufactured by the Danish company Marcussen & Søn.[4]

History

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Carl Axel Setterberg made preliminary plans and cost estimates for the church in 1857. The drawings were approved the following year after certain changes.[2] The first official worship was organized in the church in 1862, after which it began to be used almost continuously.[2] However, it was not officially inaugurated until September 5, 1869, as the final inspection of the church and the completion of the movables and interior structures were delayed.[3]

The Vaasa church was wanted in a central place when the city moved to its current location after the 1852 Great Fire of Vaasa, and it was wanted to create one of the clear monuments of the rebuilt city. The church was renovated in 1960–1961.[2][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Vaasan kirkkoFinnish Heritage Agency (in Finnish)
  2. ^ a b c d Aimo Wuorinen: Vaasan evankelis-luterilaiset kirkot ja seurakunnat kaupungin palon jälkeisenä aikana, pp. 23–31, 48–52, 266. Vaasan evankelis-luterilaiset seurakunnat, 1968. (in Finnish)
  3. ^ a b c Ossi Jäkärä: Paimenten kumarrus – Vaasan seurakuntaelämää ja kirkkotaidetta kuvien kertomana, pp. 115–120. Vaasan evankelis-luterilaiset seurakunnat, 1993. ISBN 952-90-5033-X. (in Finnish)
  4. ^ Kaupungin kirkko-pääurut, Vaasa (Vasa) – Suomen urut (in Finnish)
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