Diocese of Tampere Tampereen hiippakunta | |
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Location | |
Country | Finland |
Ecclesiastical province | Turku & Finland |
Metropolitan | Archbishop of Turku & Finland |
Statistics | |
Parishes | 49 |
Members | 595,000 |
Information | |
Denomination | Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |
Established | 1554 |
Cathedral | Tampere Cathedral |
Current leadership | |
Bishop | Matti Repo |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Tapio Luoma |
Website | |
www |
The Diocese of Tampere (Finnish : Tampereen hiippakunta, Swedish : Tammerfors stift) is the second-oldest [1] and largest diocese in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It was originally founded in 1554 as the Diocese of Viipuri (Viborg), but moved to Porvoo in 1723, becoming the Diocese of Porvoo (Borgå). In 1923, the diocese was relocated to Tampere. Its seat is Tampere Cathedral. The diocese comprises 69 parishes, serving a total population of over 595,000 people. It is led by the Bishop of Tampere.
The history of the diocese goes back over 450 years. It was founded in 1554, when King Gustav Vasa divided the Diocese of Turku, which had covered the entire Finland, into two parts. The new diocese was initially established in Viipuri (Vyborg), with Paulus Juusten serving as its first bishop. After the Russian occupation of Viipuri in 1723, the bishop's seat was moved to Porvoo (Borgå). However, with the establishment of a new Swedish-language Diocese of Borgå in 1923, Finland's second oldest diocese was relocated to Tampere, where it became known as the Diocese of Tampere. [2]
The seat of the diocese is Tampere Cathedral. The cathedral is open daily, though with limited hours. In the upper part of the cathedral is The Wounded Angel , a painting by Hugo Simberg. [3]
The Bishop of Tampere is the leader of the Diocese of Tampere. As of 2024, the bishop is the Right Reverend Matti Repo.
List of bishops of Viipuri from 1554 to 1711:
Russian invasion of Finland
List of bishops of Porvoo from 1721 to 1923:
List of bishops of Tampere from 1923 to the present: