Muurame church explained

Fullname:Muurame church
Native Name:Muuramen kirkko
Native Name Lang:fi
Location:Muurame
Country:Finland
Denomination:Lutheran
Status:Parish church
Functional Status:Active
Architect:Alvar Aalto
Architectural Type:Nordic Classicism
Completed Date:1929
Spire Quantity:1
Materials:Brick (plastered)
Parish:Muurame parish

Muurame church, located in Muurame, central Finland, was designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, and completed in 1929.

Architecture

It was the first Aalto-designed church, and the only one of his many church designs in the 1920s, to be built, and represents his transition from Nordic Classicism to the Functionalist style he is mostly known for.[1] [2] As a transitional work, the Muurame church has been undervalued among Aalto's designs by many critics, and even the architect himself called it his 'aberration of youth' (nuoruudensynti).[3]

The church's elongated-nave, single-aisle design and campanile (belfry) were influenced by Aalto's honeymoon trip to Italy a few years earlier, and the churches he saw there.[4]

Renovation

The church was comprehensively restored in 2016 to its original design. Most notably, the interior colour scheme was changed from its pre-renovation white and light wood — often associated with Aalto's minimalist style — to the original, more colourful one consisting of bright blue and red ceiling and dark grey fixtures.[5]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Alvar Aallon nuoruudensynti remontoidaan alkuperäiseen loistoonsa . Alvar Aalto's 'aberration of youth' to be restored to its original glory . 9 September 2020 . Yle . 31 March 2015 . fi.
  2. Web site: Muurame Church . AlvarAalto.fi . 9 September 2020.
  3. Web site: Muuramen kirkon arkkitehtuuria . Muurame church architecture . MuuramenSeurakunta.fi . 9 September 2020 . fi.
  4. Book: Sinisalo . Antero . Finland's Most Beautiful Churches . 1962 . Gummerus . 62 . 9 September 2020.
  5. News: Peruskorjattu kirkko tunnustaa taas värejään . Renovated church shows its true colours again . 9 September 2020 . Keskisuomalainen . 15 May 2016 . fi.