Good evening scene walker
Summer is just around the corner now, the nights are getting lighter every day.
As in Lapland, the sun in southern Finland does not really set, albeit to a lesser extent.
In this scene i take you along the peaceful beautiful old church of Tuusula.
Located on the shores of Tuusulanjärvi (Lake Tuusula).

To know more we will have to go back in time to the 17th century.
When most of the villages in Tuusula belonged to the parish of Sipoo.
At that time, the Orthodox Church began to demand attendance more often.
The 15 km long journey eventually began to feel unbearable.
Added to the problems was the Swedish-speaking pastor of Sipoo and the Finnish-speaking people of Tuusula.
The anger of the people grew and in 1643 a simple modest log cabin was built on roughly this location.
However, they did not have permission to build a church.
Finally, in 1654, the Bishop of Turku founded the independent congregation.
The church, made of poor logs, soon rotted and became neglected.
The new and current building was built between 1732 – 1734.
Designed by Erik Hannula, the father of Aleksis Kivi’s grandfather.
Aleksis Kivi (1834 – 1872) is considered one of Finland’s greatest national writers.
The church is built in a simple cruciform style, its origins comes from the Italian Renaissance. Developed further in the Netherlands, from where it spread to Finland via Sweden.

The old church of Tuusula is one of the oldest surviving cruciform churches in Finland.
The current color scheme of the church was designed by the famous painter Pekka Halonen (1865 – 1933).
The current 21-voice organ was acquired in 1971.
The first heating device was installed in 1889 and replaced with electric heating in 1952.
Electric lighting was installed in 1923.
The church bells date from 1903 and were automated in 1984.
There is room for up to 480 people.

The old cemetery has been in use from the 1640s to the 1890s.
The old tombs tell the history of Tuusula.
When it was in use, it was blessed with about 20,000 deceased.
There are 180 tombstones left, most dating from the 19th century.
Perhaps the most important attraction of the cemetery is the artist’s graves.
Because of them, the cemetery is a protected cultural monument.
The most significant resting place here is the national writer Aleksis Kivi.
In Addition to Kivi, the Finnish painter Pekka Halonen is also buried here.
The Heroes’ of War cemetery, towards the lake, is guarded by a monument depicting 2 soldiers in snow suits.
“The Returnless Road”, a granite statue created by sculptor Rakel Koivisto (1917 – 2009).
~170 men and one Lotta are buried here, the last hero burial was carried out in 2003.
Members of Lotta Svärd were a voluntary paramilitary organization for women.
Formed in 1918 in support of the White Guard and mobilized during World War II to replace conscripted men.

Today, Tuusula Church is still in use all year round. It is a popular wedding location, especially in summer.
Thank you for joining, have a nice day and hope to see you again in the next scene .
Together we learn, explore and walk through the scenes.