Tuomiokirkko

One of CL Engel’s finest creations, the chalk-white neoclassical Tuomiokirkko, presides over Senate Square, though as it was not completed until 1852, the architect, who died in 1840, never saw it. Given Finland’s Lutheran sensibilities, it was created to serve as a reminder of God’s supremacy over the square. Its high flight of stairs, however, has become a meeting place for canoodling couples, and a setting for New Year’s revelry. The interior features statues of the Reformation heroes Luther, Melanchthon and Mikael Agricola; true to their ideals, there is little other ornamentation under the lofty dome. There’s a cafe in the brick-vaulted crypt in summer.