Diocese of Tampere

The Diocese of Tampere (Finnish: Tampereen hiippakunta, Swedish: Tammerfors stift) is the second oldest^[1] and the largest diocese in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It is divided into 69 parishes with a total population of over 595,000 people. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Tampere.

Diocese of Tampere Tampereen hiippakunta
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.tampereenhiippakunta.fi

History

The history of the diocese goes back over 450 years. It was founded in 1554 when King Gustav Vasa divided the diocese of Turku, extending over the whole country, into two parts. At first, the new diocese was established in Viipuri, the first bishop being Paavali Juusteen. After the Russian occupation of Viipuri in 1723, the bishop's seat was moved to Porvoo instead. But with the foundation of a new Swedish Diocese in Porvoo in 1923, the second oldest diocese of Finland had to move to Tampere; since then the diocese has been called the Diocese of Tampere.^[2]

Tampere Cathedral opens every day but places some limitations on the number of hours it is opened. At the upper part of the cathedral, there is The Wounded Angel.^[3]

The Bishop of Tampere

The Bishop of Tampere is the leader of the Diocese of Tampere. In 2024, the current bishop is the Rt Revd Matti Repo.

Bishops of Viipuri

List of bishops of Viipuri from 1554 to 1723:

• Paavali Juusten 1554–1563
• Canutus Johannis 1563–1564
• Eerik Härkäpää 1568–1578
• Olaus Elimaeus 1618–1629
• Nicolaus Magni Carelius 1630–1632
• Gabriel Melartopaeus 1633–1641
• Petrus Bjugg 1642–1656
• Nicolaus Nycopensis 1658–1664
• Petrus Brommius 1664–1672
• Abraham Thauvonius 1672–1679
• Henrik Carstenius 1679–1683
• Petrus Bång 1681–1696
• Petrus Laurbecchius 1696–1705
• David Lund 1705–1711
• Johannes Gezelius the youngest 1721–1723

Bishops of Porvoo

List of bishops of Porvoo from 1723 to 1923:

• Johannes Gezelius the youngest 1723–1733
• Daniel Juslenius 1734–1743
• Johan Nylander 1745–1761
• Gabriel Fortunius 1762–1789
• Paul Krogius 1789–1792
• Zacharias Cygnaeus 1792–1809
• Magnus Jacob Alopaeus 1809–1818
• Zacharias Cygnaeus the younger 1819–1820
• Johan Molander 1821–1837
• Carl Gustaf Ottelin 1838–1864
• Frans Ludvig Schauman 1865–1878
• Anders Johan Hornborg 1878–1883
• Johan Viktor Johnsson 1884
• Carl Henrik Alopaeus 1885–1892
• Herman Råbergh 1892–1920
• Jaakko Gummerus 1920–1923

Bishops of Tampere

List of bishops of Tampere from 1923 to the present:

• Jaakko Gummerus 1923–1933
• Aleksi Lehtonen 1934–1945^[4]
• Eelis Gulin 1945–1966
• Erkki Kansanaho 1966–1981
• Paavo Kortekangas 1981–1996
• Juha Pihkala 1996–2008^[5]
• Matti Repo 2008–^[5][6]

See also

• Tampere Cathedral

References

1. "The open doors of the bishop's house". Tampere. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
2. Tapahtumat.tampere.fi - Diocese of Tampere
3. Ateneum.fi: Hugo Simberg - Haavoittunut Enkeli
4. Lehtonen, Aleksi (April 30, 1940). "Exchange of Letters Between Aleksi Lehtonen, Bishop of Tampere, Finland, and Lord Halifax, Foreign Secretary of Great Britain, April, 1940". British National Archives website, Historical Documents section. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
5. Mackereth, Yvonne (July 31, 2011). "Tampere Partnership". St Marys Davyhulme. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
6. "The 25th Anniversary of the Porvoo Communion". Anglican Church in Ireland. Retrieved 2024-01-31.

External links

• Media related to Diocese of Tampere at Wikimedia Commons
• Diocese of Tampere