Muurame Church

The village of Muurame lies a few miles south of Jyväskylä, the town where Aalto grew up and opened his first architectural practice in 1923, so it was only natural for the parish council to commission its new church from the closest qualified architect. Aalto had made his first trip to Italy in 1924, during which he had been greatly impressed by the architettura minore of small, simple churches in rural settings. His travel mpressions are much in evidence in the church of Muurame, with the tall campanile on one side of the rounded chancel, the single-aisle interior with a barrel vault (originally painted black) over a system of joists, and the parish hall in the form of a side chapel to the right of the chancel. A staircase leads down from this room to an exit with a loggia in Brunelleschi style. The vestry is in the bell tower at the level of the chancel. The original 1926 plan included a 'rose garden' at an right angle between the church and the side chapel, a taller campanile, and painted figures in the entrance vaulting. These features were omitted, as were the intended apse paintings. Aalto worked out the interior with great care, preparing numerous detail drawings. The furnishings, designed fairly late in the project, took on elements of Aalto´s 'conversion' to Functionalism in 1928. Thus, Danish PH lamps were used for interior lighting, and the vestry furniture was of tubular steel.

Address

Sanantie 14, Muurame, Finland

Details

Founded: 1926
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: Independency (Finland)