The reason for the demolition is the poor condition of the properties and the financial situation of the parishes.
Herttoniemi the church and Vuosaari's Merirasti chapel are going to be demolished, the Helsinki parish union says.
The joint church council of the parishes decided on Thursday that it will give the properties a demolition permit.
Herttoniemi church was built in 1958, and it has been closed since 2019 due to indoor air problems.
The demolition has now received the seal of the parish union, but the next step is the approval of the church board. When, in addition to this, a statement has been received from the Helsinki City Museum, the parish association can send an application for a demolition permit.
Dismountable The Merirasti chapel, on the other hand, was completed in 1993. Indoor air problems have also been found there, and the chapel has been in need of repair.
In addition to the demolition, the parish association will sell the approximately two-hectare property in Saariselkä with its buildings to the Center for Children and Youth for a purchase price of 400,000 euros.
The Merirasti chapel was built in 1993.
Because By law, Herttoniemi Church is a church building, the church board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church must by law approve the so-called desacralization of the building. Literally, desacralization means removing the sanctity of a space.
Instead, the Merirasti chapel can be compared to a parish hall, so there is no need to apply to the church board to demolish it.
In the background demolitions include not only the poor condition of the buildings, but also the financial situation of Helsinki's parishes.
Helsinki Parish Association has stated that it intends to give up approximately 40,000 square meters of its offices by 2030. This means about 25 percent of the square meters of all parish properties.
At the beginning of 2024, Helsinki parishes owned 42 churches and chapels and more than 230 buildings.
#Helsinki #Herttoniemi #church #demolished