Oulu – The fourth northernmost city in the world with over 100,000 inhabitants, known as the “capital of Northern Finland” and, surprisingly, home to the Air Guitar World Championships!
Oulu sits on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia and is just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle. It was a rather cold and snowy December day when I visited the Finnish city of Oulu. There was one place I just had to visit during our few hours in the city… Oulu Cathedral (“Oulun tuomiokirkko” in Finnish).


From the 1610s, a wooden church stood on the site of the front door of the current cathedral, though it was oriented from east to west. By 1769 the church was too small and dilapidated, so it was torn down and a stone church was built in its place in 1777.


Oulu’s stone church was destroyed in 1822 after a fire broke out and destroyed most of the city. Whilst the wooden structures burnt down, the stone walls remained and formed the foundation of the new church (it wouldn’t become a cathedral until 1900). Like Helsinki Cathedral, the new Oulu Cathedral was designed by architect Carl Ludvig Engel. A new central dome, new roof structures and a new steeple were introduced, with the rebuilding of the cathedral finishing in 1832 and the steeple in 1845.


We walked through the doors of Oulu Cathedral to be greeted by the main organ belting out music. The cathedral has two organs – the 62-stop Romantic main organ (built by Kangasala organ factory in 1938) and the 18-stop choir organ (built by Urkurakentamo Veikko Virtanen in 1938). The sound emanating from the main organ was magnificent.
The cathedral’s stained-glass windows are vibrant and colourful, and yet fit in very well with the neoclassical architecture.
We had the cathedral to ourselves, for the most part, and it was a welcome break from Oulu’s December snow. The cathedral is free to visit, but it is best to check the cathedral website for opening times.


The city of Oulu is easily accessible by public transport. Oulu is home to Finland’s second-largest airport, and Finland has a good network of trains and buses. We caught the train to Oulu from Kannus (on the Helsinki to Rovaniemi train route) for a day trip.
We only had a few hours in Oulu, but I would love to visit again (maybe in the summer when there’s more daylight!).
Beautiful in its simplicity, and I love the yellows. The stained glass is also superb, especially the first, more contemporary, one.
That window really caught my eye too!
How lovely! I really enjoyed hearing the organ. I find stained glass so beautiful, whether it’s old or modern, abstract or realistic.
There’s just something about stained glass, isn’t there?
Gorgeous photos of the church and its stain glass windows ~ wonderful organ music ~ thank you ~ hugs,
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Thank you!
What a magnificent cathedral, Nikki! The main organ and stained glass are really stunning.
It’s a beautiful, light-filled structure, Nikki. Are you developing a Finnish vocabulary as a result of your visits to the country?
I’ve picked up a few words of Finnish, but not many. I can do the most important – “Hello” and “Thank you”. 😀
I Googled to see that this is an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral, Nikki, which explains why it isn’t over the top like you see in so many Roman Catholic cathedrals. I love how it is beautifully stated and especially that you were there when the organ was being played. How fortuitous!
I thought the organ really set the atmosphere in the cathedral.
I particularly like the modern stained glass, and the simple lines of the building’ interior, Nikki
Air Guitar World Championships?! That sounds interesting, had no idea there is such a thing.
I like the cathedral very much, it looks different and airy.
Beautiful. I love the stained glass.
Such a wonderful, well decorated cathedral, Nikki. Not over the top and overwhelming, but very decorative and basic. I noticed the ship hanging from the ceiling. Wonderful stained glass windows and I would nit have mind to hear the organ. Thank you for taking us along on this trip.
Wow, that is such a glorious cathedral. The stained glass windows are exquisite. Thanks for sharing your view of it and the history too!
What a pretty cathedral! I almost prefer to to the very ornate and detailed ones we typically see in Europe. And that pipe organ is impressive!
Awesome post and photos! The stained glass is amazing!
Wow, what a place!
I have a fellow cat blogger in Oulu: https://catiotales.blogspot.com/, whom I hope to visit someday.
I want to see the Northern Lights!
The cathedral looks amazing, I love how clean and fresh it looks.
Just perfect for a spiritual experience.
This is fabulous! Such clean lines!
Thank you for sharing your visit to Oulu Cathedral with us. It’s absolutely stunning! The sound of the organ is impressive, and the stained glass – particularly the first one – is magnificent! xxx
That first stained glass window seems to be a popular one!
What a beautifully designed cathedral and your photos are excellent. I love the way you have managed to capture all the detail on the stained-glass windows.
Thank you!
I actually had a pen pal from Oulu called Tina when I was a child, pen pals were all the rage growing up and I loved to receive an air mail envelope in the post.
Pen pals are still all the rage now… Well, certainly in the groups I’m in on FB.
The Oulu Cathedral is beautiful! I love the yellow exterior, and the stained glass windows are stunning. Also, I enjoyed the short clip with the main organ playing!
Such a beautiful cathedral. There is a simplicity about the design that seems almost timeless. The stained glass windows and the main organ are amazing. Thank you for sharing your short visit to Oulu.
Lovely photos! Love the stained glass windows.
Thanks for an interesting post about a place in the world I will never visit.
This is really beautiful, Nikki. So airy and the glass windows really stand out with the surrounding white. That’s an amazing looking organ.
Boxed pews and stained glass from different eras.
Beautiful photos of Oulu Cathedral 🙂
Simple beautiful!
Typo, should read Simply beautiful!