Rovaniemi Church

The Rovaniemi Mother Church (Finnish: Rovaniemen kirkko) is a church located in the city center of Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland. The 850-seat church, designed by architect Bertel Liljequist, was completed in 1950.^[1] The earlier church building, completed in 1817, was burnt down by the Germans during the Lapland War on October 16, 1944.^[2][3]

Rovaniemi Mother Church Rovaniemen kirkko
Religion
Affiliation	Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Church (building)
Location
Location	Rovaniemi, Finland
Geographic coordinates	66°29′40.81″N 025°43′43.75″E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Bertel Liljequist
Style	Reconstruction
Completed	1950
Specifications
Capacity	850
Materials	Stone

The specialties of the church include a Christian cross on the roof, which is lit with a red neon light (only visible at night). The choice of color once sparked widespread debate.^[4] The color of the cross is red because of its symbolic meaning: "Bloody Cross on top of the Promissory Note."^[5] During 2005, Rovaniemi Church was renovated. The most visible change was the renewal of the water cover made copper.^[6]

The large altar fresco (14 meters high and 11 meters wide) was made by Professor Lennart Segerstråle in 1951. The work is called Elämän lähde ("The Source of Life").^[7][8][9]