Contrary to general practice, no one has ever been buried in the church grounds. By the end of the 18th century, many parishes no longer wanted to bury in existing churches, and it became illegal in 1822. In the years 1640–1790, the western side of the Senate Square served as a cemetery until it was leveled during the construction of the Cathedral and its surrounding area. The deceased in the cemetery were not moved, so the graves of Helsinki residents from the 17th and 18th centuries are still under the square and Aleksanterinkatu. Even in the 2000s, bones have come up in connection with construction work.