About us
Our team
This site is administered by Pilgrimage Finland, a collaboration between the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the City of Turku. As a team, we are part of the diocesan chapter of the diocese of Turku, which is one of the nine administrative areas of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The history of the diocese of Turku goes back to the 12th century, a time when the Christian church was being established in Finland. This makes our organization the oldest in the country. Today, about 66 % of Finns are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Though we are part of the church organization, our purpose is to build a cooperative network over various fields, bringing together people from the academic world, travel industry, different local associations, as well as entrepreneurs and volunteers. We work closely with the congregation of the Cathedral of Turku, and with many other parishes across Finland.
Our goal is to promote Finnish pilgrimage routes, discuss pilgrimage as a modern phenomenon, and support communities that wish to develop the diverse practices of pilgrimage in Finland. We are based in Turku but work on a national level, while also strengthening our role as part of the international pilgrimage network.
The first pilgrimage center of Finland was opened by our team in Turku Cathedral in June 2021. Serving locals as well as domestic and international visitors at the center is one of our most important tasks.