Kuopio Cathedral, the central church of the diocese of Kuopio, is located on Vahtivuori hill in Kuopio. It was opened in 1816 after the wars delayed the completion of construction works.
The church has an area of 1091 square meters. With a capacity of about 1500 seats, Kuopio Cathedral is a neoclassicism of the early 19th century. The stone church is shaped like a cross-shaped church. In the eastern part of the church is a tower, and in the western part - an altar. It was restored in 1866, 1877, 1895, 1925 and 1961. The height is measured on the ceiling of the church tower 35.5 meters, the height of the water level of Kalla is 56.4 meters and 138.20 meters above sea level. There are two church bells, for 1928 and 1951.
The main organ of Kuopio Cathedral was built by the Danish Bruno Christensen and Sonner Orgelbigger in 1986 and has 52 votes, three fingers and a foot. The bark of the organ was built by the Swedish company Robert Gustavsson Orgelbyggeri AB in 2003.
Altar of Jesus on the Cross, Berndt Abraham Godenhelm, 1843.
Altar of Christ on the Cross was written in St. Petersburg by Finn Berndt Abraham Godenhelm. The altar was presented to the church in 1843 by pastor and doctor of theology Matthias Ingman. At that time, Saima magazine, edited by J. W. Snelman, expressed a rare criticism of the altar, saying that the altar is embossed and sculpted, which weakens its expressive power, but that it is very beautiful and probably one of the best in the north.
The current church is the fifth one in Kuopio, the first church in Kuopio was built in 1552. Drawings of the new church were made by the conductor Per V. Palmrot in 1795. Jakob the Wraith was the main builder from 1806 to 1807, and the church was built at the level of the eaves of the roof until 1808, when the Finnish War broke out. Construction work could not be resumed until 1812. Per Granstedt managed the works from 1813 to 1815. In 1815, the old wooden Kuopio church was demolished at the southern tip of Maherrankatu. As a result of these measures, the shopping center Custaanthori (now Snellman Park) strengthened its position as the city center. In 1851, the church was given the status of a cathedral. However, in 1900-1939, the church was given the status of a cathedral. Oulu Church served as a diocesan cathedral.
The National Council of Antiquities classifies Kuopio Cathedral and Snelman Park with its surrounding areas as a nationally significant built up cultural environment (Kuopio Snelman Park, the cathedral and wooden blocks). According to the National Board of Antiquities, the cathedral, the Snelman Park and the surrounding old wooden houses are the most historically valuable parts of the Kuopio energy system center. To the east, the park is picturesquely adjoined by a church tower.
