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== History ==
The Orthodox faith can be considered the was earliest form of Christianity to arrive in Finland. It spread to southern Finland and to the people of Karelia around Lake Ladoga through trade and other contacts with the East over 1,000 years ago. The founding of monasteries on the islands of Lake Ladoga contributed significantly to the spreading and establishment of the Orthodox faith in eastern Finland. The monasteries were important missionary centres.
During Russian rule in the 19th century, in Helsinki, Viipuri and the Karelian Isthmus, the Orthodoxy was associated with the the country's ruling elite. However, many rural Finns, Sami and Karelians were also members of the [[Orthodox Church]].
Shortly after Finland declared independence from Russia in 1917, the Finnish Orthodox Church declared its [[autonomy]] from the [[Church of Russia]]. In 1923, the Finnish Church completely separated from the Russian Church, becoming an autonomous part of the [[Church of Constantinople]]. The [[New Calendar]] was also adopted, including the Gregorian [[Paschalion]], making it distinct from the rest of the Orthodox churches, whether following the [[New Calendar|New]] or [[Old Calendar|Old]] [[Church calendar]]. Other reforms introduced after independence include changing the liturgical language from [[Church Slavonic]] to Finnish and the transfer of the Archepiscopal seat from the multicultural city of Viipuri to the Finnish speaking city of Sortavala.