Finland: Nature is Second Nature

Temppeliaukio Church: Remarkable in its near invisibility

Our first visit to Helsinki happened to be on a rainy day. We had a good friend pick us up in her car and drive around the city while she pointed out the sites before taking us to her home. But we did get to see the Old Market Hall (the unique fish market does not smell of fish at all) and most significantly the Temppleliaukio Church. The almost flat copper domed Church barely rising above the surrounding landscape is hewn out of a huge bedrock. From the outside you see only two granite rock walls flanking it and so it's easy to miss as we did the second time we visited Helsinki. (Apparently, a steeple was vehemently voted out.) An unassuming entrance, flanked by concrete walls, leads visitors through a dark hallway, and into the grotto, a light-filled sanctuary carved directly into the bedrock. The walls inside the minimalistic church are unfinished rock and hence the epithet “The Church of the Rock.”  Skylights surrounding the dome send in rays of light dappling the interior as though the structure was open to the skies underneath a canopy of foliage.The accoustics is excellent. Altogether it has a very peaceful ambiance. The first time we went entry was free. Now there's is a charge of €5.

Kampi Chapel: An capsule of silence in a sea of activity

On our second visit to Helsinki we take in the busy railway station and a very modern library. As we walk across from the beautifully functional and inclusive library out onto the busy square criss crossed with the purposeful steps of a multitude of busy people, a curious 12 m high minimalist oval structure confronts us. It is made up of curved wooden panels. 

Keen to explore the interior we step in through the glass doors into an absolute awe inspiring silence. We notice that we are tiptoeing and are acutely aware of the quietness as though everything had come to a standstill. The space has a few minimalist wooden benches and an unassuming altar. It is lit by a skylight around the edge of the ceiling. There are no windows and yet we do not feeled trapped. In here, in deep emotion and rapt attention, it is easy to forget we are in the heart of one of the world's busiest cities. 

Uncanny traces of Tamil

Incidentally we noticed that street names in Finland generally end with -katu. Upon inquiry we find that it is the Finnish word for street. It certainly sounded very Tamilian for katu can mean point as a verb or forest as an adjective. We were certainly directed towards peace in an urban forest.