Myyrmäki Church - The Church of Light

Myyrmäki Church was built in 1984. This internationally renowned architectural gem is also called the Church of Light. Light has been a key element in the thinking of academician and architect Juha Leiviskä, who designed the church. Even in the architectural competition for the church, his design was titled ‘Päivänsäde’ (Sunbeam).

Upon entering Myyrmäki Church, visitors first step into the low foyer, which then leads into the high and bright church hall, as if from darkness to light.

Light hits the church hall in a different way each moment of the day, allowing visitors to endlessly marvel at its reflections.

Even the 108 lighting fixtures designed by Leiviskä for the church hall are suspended at different heights according to a precise plan to create just the right illumination. The colour temperature of the light they provide is also carefully defined.

To me, a building as it stands, ‘as a piece of architecture’, is nothing. Its meaning comes only in counterpoint with its surroundings, with life and with light. Daylight is the most important building material.
Academician, architect Juha Leiviskä

The church facilities have been named in keeping with the theme of the Church of Light. These include, for example, Valo, Kirkkaus, Sarastus, Kipinä, Loiste, Aurinko, Kuu, and Tähti (in Finnish) – Light, Glory, Daybreak, Spark, Radiance, Sun, Moon, and Star, respectively.

Myyrmäki Church is open to people from morning until night, seven days a week. In addition to worship services, people gather in the church for both joyful and sorrowful occasions, such as christenings, weddings, and funerals. On weekdays, the facilities are used by groups of all ages. Thanks to the excellent acoustics, the church is also a popular venue for music lovers. Architecture enthusiasts, particularly international visitors.

The main church hall can accommodate 350 people, but with the adjoining halls, the capacity increases to 500. Additionally, the church offers multipurpose spaces for various gatherings, club rooms for children and youth, private meeting rooms, and the parish office."

Story of the church

Three churches had been built in Western Vantaa in the 1960s: in Kaivoksela, Kivistö and Hämeenkylä. When a church was planned for the growing Myyrmäki-Louhela area in the 1970s, one option for the site was in the current centre of Myyrmäki. At that time, it was still a thinly-developed area and the location was seen as too out of the way. The church ended up next to the Louhela railway station. Myyrmäki has since grown into the main centre of Western Vantaa.

The site allocated to Myyrmäki Church was demanding due to it being long and narrow, with a high railway embankment to the west and Louhelantie road to the east. A design competition was held for the church.

With eight days to go until the end of the competition, I made a design in a week. The area within which the building had to stay had been marked across the site. It was so impossible that I just ignored it and placed everything in a completely different way. It was important to me to retain the park. I built a ‘protective wall’ in the direction of the railway tracks, with all the facilities leaning on it.  This created an elongated, meandering chain.
Architect Juha Leiviskä

Juha Leiviskä’s design won the competition. According to Leiviskä, Myyrmäki Church has been significantly influenced by the interiors of the late Baroque churches in Southern Germany and the reflection of light in them.

Leiviskä is known for his church buildings, and Myyrmäki Church is considered as one of his principal works. His other designs include, for example, St Thomas Church in Oulu, Männistö Church is Kuopio, the new section of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Helsinki as well as a cultural and conference centre in Bethlehem.

Myyrmäki Church was renovated from the foundations to the skylights in 2023–2024. Due to its architectural value, the original appearance of the church hall, among others, has been preserved.

Textiles

The textiles of Myyrmäki Church were designed by textile artist Kristiina Nyrhinen. There are a total of 11 large wall textiles in the church hall and the adjoining halls. The textiles are made of linen and fishing line. Nyrhinen’s proposal for the church textiles was chosen as the best in an invitational competition. Her design was titled ‘Valoa kohti’ (Towards the Light).

I chose linen because it is festive and durable. Fishing line appealed to me because of the fisher symbolism. I wanted to create something non-representational, but big, light and airy as well as a splash of colour too. As simple as if they had just fallen into place from the sky. I chose muted tones influenced by the faded colours of old grey stone churches. The textile work on the altar wall changes with the light. Its parts echo the colour symbols of the church year: Green for life and growth, purple for quiet and suffering, blue for heaven and white for celebration, purity and eternal joy. The same symbolism is repeated in the liturgical vestments and other textiles.
Textile artist Kristiina Nyrhinen

Organ

The organ of Myyrmäki Church was built in accordance with the 17th century organ building tradition of Northern Germany. What is unusual about this organ is that one set of pipes is situated behind the organist on the floor, while the rest are in front of them against the wall, as usual. This dates back to the 17th century when the organ stood on the balcony and the set of pipes behind the organist were placed on its edge.

The organ is Baroque in style, but combined with modern architecture such that those who know their organs can still immediately see that it is a Baroque organ. So, it is Baroque with a modern look, but it is still recognisable as Baroque.

The organ of Myyrmäki Church was built by Kangasalan Urkurakentamo.

The organ of Myyrmäki Church is a unified entity whose 36 stops can be combined by the organist to create countless different timbres. This organ is well suited for playing music from various stylistic periods.
Cantor Kari Jerkku

Architecture and music are the art forms closest to each other when it comes to experience.
Architect Juha Leiviskä

• Three manuals played by the hands, each with 56 keys, i.e. 168 in total.
• 30 pedalboard keys played by the feet.
• Approximately 2,300 pipes.
• The sounding length of the largest pipe is a little over 5 metres. The note it produces is a very low C, or almost mere humming.
• The sounding length of the smallest pipe is a little under 1 centimetre. The note it produces is a very high G, which is at the threshold of human hearing.
• The pipes have different weights and are made of various materials. Most of the pipes are a mixture of lead and tin, while some are made of wood or copper.