Protected building

Kaleva Church

Tampere

About this site

Stone church. Kaleva church, sculpturally and freely standing on top of a small hill in Liisanpuisto, is the most monumental example of newer church architecture in Finland. The church's outer walls consist of concrete channels of varying size, concave and convex, clad with light yellow brick, with narrow window strips extending almost the full height of the wall in the openings between them. At the top of the flat roof is a small cross-shaped bell tower. A projecting wall leads toward the main door in the direction of Itsenäisyydenkatu. The ground plan of the church hall is an irregular rhombus. The inner walls are the reverse form of the facades; inside the channels are painted light grey. The false perspective and architectural focus toward the altar apparently shortens the church hall's length. The hall widens initially one third of its length and then narrows toward the altar. Accordingly the floor rises convexly for the same distance and then turns into a concave descent. The church's fixed furnishings and ceiling are of wood. The asymmetrical organ facade and the wood sculpture The Crushed Reed on the altar wall are also the work of the church's architect Reima Pietilä. The parish centre facilities are housed in a side building on the south side of the church. In the basement there is a large parish hall and technical spaces.

Official description (Museovirasto) — machine-translated from Finnish

Kaleva Church

Kaleva Church is an Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland church building in the Liisankallio district of Tampere, Finland. It was designed by Reima and Raili Pietilä and built in 1964–66. The church accommodates approximately 1,120 people. It is considered an example of modern architectural style and is one of the main sights of Tampere.

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Municipality
Tampere
Heritage Agency record
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