Church of Finland structure
There are three Dioceses of the Church of Finland: the Dioceses of Karelia, Helsinki, and Oulu. The seat of the Archbishop of Finland is in the city of Kuopio in the Diocese of Karelia. The dioceses of Karelia and Helsinki were formed in the general reorganization of the Church of Finland after World War II, to adjust to the new national borders of Finland. In 1979, the position of the Bishop of Joensuu was created as a suffragan bishop to assist the ruling archbishop. A third diocese, the Diocese of Oulu, was created in late 1979 with a ruling metropolitan. The diocese began to function in January 1980.
Of note is that the composition of a parish within the Church of Finland includes several churches and chapels.
Diocese of Karelia
The seat of the ruling bishop of Finland and the Diocese of Karelia, the Archbishop of Karelia, is located in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Kuopio. The diocese is also the home of two monasteries, the Monastery of New Valamo, for men, and the Convent of Lintula, for women. The diocese, which occupies the eastern part of Finland, is divided up into the following eleven parishes:
- Iisalmi
- Ilomantsi
- Joensuu
- Jyväskylä
- Kuopio
- Lieksa
- Mikkeli
- Nurmes
- Rautalampi
- Taipale
- Varkaus
Diocese of Helsinki
The seat of the ruling bishop of Diocese of Helsinki, the Metropolitan of Helsinki, is located in Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki. The diocese, which occupies the southern part of Finland, is divided up into the following eight parishes:
- Hamina
- Helsinki
- Hämeenlinna
- Kotka
- Lahti
- Lappeenranta
- Tampere
- Turku
Diocese of Oulu
The seat of the ruling bishop of Diocese of Oulu, the Metropolitan of Oulu, is located in cathedral in the city of Oulu. The diocese, which occupies the northern half of Finland, is divided up into the following five parishes:
- Kajaani
- Kiuruvesi
- Lappi
- Oulu
- Vaasa