The Church of St Lawrence

Kirkkotie 45
01510 Vantaa
The medieval greystone Church of St Lawrence, our festival’s home, is believed to date back to the mid-15th century, in other words, to a time before Columbus set sail for the New World. It is thought to be the oldest still standing building in the Helsinki region.
The church in Helsinge, the name by which Vantaa was known from the 14th right up to the 19th century, was probably financed by donations and built by new village settlers from Sweden. The very first church was made of wood but was soon replaced by the stone one now gracing the village. It was seriously destroyed by fire in the late 19th century. When it was rebuilt, it acquired Neo-Gothic features such as high windows, balconies, and decorative paintings with botanical motifs. The medieval feel of the imposing lofty arches still remains, however, as does the all-important, magnificent five-second echo that brings music to life in a way that is quite unique.
Today, all sorts of events are held in the church, which annually attracts close on 100,000 visitors. It is the most popular church in Finland for weddings, and the Wedding Night event now familiar across the country originated in precisely this church.
Concerts
8.8.2021 19:00 Bach harpsichord concertos – fervour and fantasy9.8.2021 19:00 Butterflies, princesses and mysterious barricades – works for harpsichord by Couperin
9.8.2021 20:30 Baroque violin virtuosi goad Bach along
11.8.2021 19:00 What if? The kannel visits Versailles
11.8.2021 20:30 Unsecured loans
12.8.2021 19:00 Il Gardellino in Venice and Leipzig
12.8.2021 20:30 Maisterikonsertti: Piangete Ninfe
14.8.2021 18:00 Antonio Zacara da Teramo – servant of four Popes
15.8.2021 19:00 Buxtehude and his contemporaries
7.8.2022 19:00 7.8. François Couperin “Le Grand”
7.8.2022 20:30 7.8. Marais-Charpentier
8.8.2022 19:00 8.8. Boccherini vs. Haydn
8.8.2022 20:30 8.8. Concerto evening
9.8.2022 19:00 9.8. Bachcelona: Cantatas by Bach
10.8.2022 19:30 10.8. In Honour of Tenor John Beard
10.8.2022 21:00 10.8. Late night solos
13.8.2022 19:00 13.8. The Best of Baroque
8.8.2023 19:00 8.8. Italian 17th century music
8.8.2023 20:30 8.8. Music from the Classical and Romantic Era on Period instruments
9.8.2023 20:00 9.8. Æstus: Elo
11.8.2023 19:00 11.8. English 17th century music
11.8.2023 20:30 11.8. Profeti della Quinta: Lamento d´Arianna
12.8.2023 13:00 12.8. Pipe it up! piknik-pop up
12.8.2023 19:00 12.8. Profeti della Quinta: The Song of Salomon
13.8.2023 19:00 13.8. Arrangements of music of Johann Sebastian Bach
13.8.2023 20:30 13.8. Bass arias by J.S. Bach
15.8.2023 18:00 15.8. Aapo Häkkinen: Die Kunst der Fuge