Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki (must see)

Part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Upenski Cathedral is the official seat of the bishop of Helsinki for that faith tradition. It is dedicated to the Dormition of Theotokos (The Bearer of God, or Mary). In fact, the name of the church itself is derived from the old Slavic word for Dormition.

The building was finished in 1868 and took a total of six years to complete. The well known Russian architect Alexey Gomostaev designed the structure. Sadly, it was not completed in his lifetime.

There is a crypt chapel that is built into the building complex. It was named after one of the old Vicars of the church, Alexander Hotovitzky. He served the local parish in the early 1900s.

There are several very beautiful icons on display in this cathedral. They also happen to be quite valuable as art antiquities. In fact, two of them had been stolen from the church in the last several years, with only one having been (remarkably) recovered. Consequently, glass protection covers had to be added, but this will not ruin your chance to appreciate the icons.

Tips:
- The climb up involves quite a number of stairs. Go up there at sunset. You'll get stunning photos of the cityscape with the sun setting just behind the Lutheran Cathedral.
- The rocks right in front of the church are popular place to sit on together with friends enjoying the view. Just watch out – they are steep!