Three out of four of my grandparents are (and were) Orthodox Christians. Yet, I grew up in a more atheist household since neither of parents were religious and rather held their own views of such issues. This is why I didn't learn much about Orthodox religion and still as an adult was not too sure of the differences between the Orthodox traditions and other branches of Christianity.
About two percent of Finnish citizens consider themselves Orthodox. The roots of the religion lie on the side of Russia, from where the Russian Orthodox Church initially took a foothold in Finland when refugees fled the area of Karelia during the turbulent times of the World Wars. In 1923, the Finnish Orthodox Church was established. The church has always had a strong presence in the country - an example of this is the centre of Helsinki where you have the Lutheran Church in the spot centre of the city and, then right next to it, the Orthodox Cathedral.
What normally distinguishes the outlook of an Orthodox Church from those of other branches of Christianity is that these churches are much more decorated. They are painted more colourfully both inside and outside, with onion-shaped towers rising with golden rims rising from the roof. Inside, you can see colourful paintings of Saints and Archangels, as well as golden decorations. This is a stark contrast to the Lutheran tradition, for example, that generally keeps its churches very plain.
Recently, I visited the Russian Orthodox Church in central London. I was curious to go and see how it looks and was surprised to find out that it looked more Lutheran than Orthodox with its plainer outlook. It was interesting to see the difference compared to the Finnish Orthodox Church. Perhaps this is another cultural aspect of religion worth looking more into... It again raises the question of how far religion and culture are inter-mingled.
The Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral in the centre of Helsinki
About two percent of Finnish citizens consider themselves Orthodox. The roots of the religion lie on the side of Russia, from where the Russian Orthodox Church initially took a foothold in Finland when refugees fled the area of Karelia during the turbulent times of the World Wars. In 1923, the Finnish Orthodox Church was established. The church has always had a strong presence in the country - an example of this is the centre of Helsinki where you have the Lutheran Church in the spot centre of the city and, then right next to it, the Orthodox Cathedral.
What normally distinguishes the outlook of an Orthodox Church from those of other branches of Christianity is that these churches are much more decorated. They are painted more colourfully both inside and outside, with onion-shaped towers rising with golden rims rising from the roof. Inside, you can see colourful paintings of Saints and Archangels, as well as golden decorations. This is a stark contrast to the Lutheran tradition, for example, that generally keeps its churches very plain.
Recently, I visited the Russian Orthodox Church in central London. I was curious to go and see how it looks and was surprised to find out that it looked more Lutheran than Orthodox with its plainer outlook. It was interesting to see the difference compared to the Finnish Orthodox Church. Perhaps this is another cultural aspect of religion worth looking more into... It again raises the question of how far religion and culture are inter-mingled.
The Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral in the centre of Helsinki
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