Medieval stone churches in Finland were built between the 13th and 16th century. The total number of churches was 104, of which 83 have been preserved. Numbers include the sacristies of uncompleted churches. Finnish medieval stone churches are mainly located in the western and southern parts of the country. They were usually fieldstone churches made of grey granite. Some are built of red granite and limestone while two churches are made of brick. [1]
Christianity gained a foothold in Finland during the 11th century. The oldest churches and chapels were built of wood, which remained the most common material until the late 19th century. The oldest preserved wooden churches in Finland date back to the 17th century. The oldest stone church is the St. Olaf's Church in Jomala, Åland. It was completed 1260–1280. [1]
Dating the churches is difficult, since there are very few reliable sources. During the era of Finnish nationalism in the late 19th century, the stone churches were considered to be from the 12th or 13th century. They were later mainly dated back to the 14th century. In the 1990s, the Finnish archeologist Markus Hiekkanen claimed the churches were much younger, constructed between the 15th and early 16th century. [1]
Finnish medieval stone churches can be classified in three groups by their architectural style. The first group includes the oldest churches found exclusively in the Åland Islands. The second group is mainly built in the areas of Southwest Finland, Uusimaa and the southern parts of Tavastia. The youngest group is located in the historical provinces of Satakunta and Ostrobothnia. In this period, new churches were also completed in regions where they already existed. The last medieval stone churches were built in the 1550s. [1]
Finnish stone churches are small and simple, more like village churches. The exception is Turku Cathedral which is the national shrine of Finland. Most churches do not have a steeple, but a wooden bell tower located next to them. The churches are usually considered as representative of European Gothic. Brick ornaments on the gables are influenced by Brick Gothic in Northern Germany from where many of the builders came. Only the oldest churches in Åland have Romanesque forms. Since brick was expensive, it was used only for window and door frames, vaults and gable ornaments. The only medieval brick churches in Finland are Turku Cathedral in Turku and Holy Cross Church in Hattula. [1]
The inside walls and vaults were usually painted white and decorated with Fresco-secco mural paintings. They are the oldest examples of Finnish art. The paintings of 47 churches have been preserved. This artwork was often painted over during the Reformation era, but later uncovered. Some churches have notable paintings by foreign masters, but others display a rather primitive form of art. Only a few stained glass windows are preserved. [1]
Finnish stone churches have some 800 wooden sculptures, including 130 crucifixes. They were mainly imported from Gotland or Northern Germany, but some are the work of local Finnish masters. The pews were made of wood, as were the pulpits. During the winter, the churches were usually very cold since there was no heating. Some of the churches had burial vaults for the local nobility and other devout persons. [1]
Western Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. Tampere was the largest city of the province.
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. It is mostly surrounded by Jomala, the second largest municipality in Åland in terms of population; to the east it is bordered by Lemland. Like all of Åland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 88% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language.
Jomala is a municipality of Åland, an autonomous territory of Finland. In terms of population, it is the next largest after Mariehamn, the capital of Åland.
Turku Cathedral is the only medieval basilica in Finland and the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It is the central church of the Lutheran Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Lutheran Archbishop of Finland, Tapio Luoma. It is also regarded as one of the major records of Finnish architectural history.
The Church of Mother of God before Týn, often translated as Church of Our Lady before Týn, is a Gothic church and a dominant feature of the Old Town of Prague, Czech Republic. It has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. The church's two towers are 80 m high, and each tower's spire is topped by eight smaller spires in two layers of four.
Espoo Cathedral is a medieval stone church in Espoo, Finland, and the seat of the Diocese of Espoo of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The cathedral is located in the district of Espoon keskus, near the Espoonjoki river. The oldest parts of the church were completed in the 1480s and it is thus the oldest preserved building in the city. The church became a cathedral in 2004 after the Diocese of Espoo was split off from the Diocese of Helsinki. The cathedral grounds include a graveyard, a vicarage and a parish hall completed in 1995. In addition to being the seat of the Diocese of Espoo, it serves as the church for the Espoo Cathedral Parish and hosts various concerts and other events including the "Organ Night and Aria" concert series.
A fieldstone church is a type of church, built using fieldstone of glacial erratics and glacial rubble. Such cathedrals and monasteries occur mostly in areas where the ice ages have deposited such rock material on the one hand, and where on the other hand there is little or no access to natural rock for quarrying and fashioning. In Europe, the primary areas with fieldstone churches are Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg in Germany, as well as Poland, Finland, parts of Scandinavia and the Baltic states. The stones used are often granite, gneiss or quartzite; they can be used both hewn and unshaped. Since some of the churches are painted, the stones are not always visible. Especially in later examples, the fieldstones are often combined with other materials, such as brick or half-timbered parts.
St. Mary's Church is a medieval stone church located in Maaria, in Turku, Finland. There are no records as to when the present church was built, but the work was probably started in the mid or late 15th century. According to Markus Hiekkanen, the church was probably built in the 1440s, on the basis of the style of the closets; the gables were constructed about 50 years later. There are medieval limestone paintings on the walls, which are not common to other places in Finland. The most valuable artefacts are the wooden altar cabinet and a large altarpiece depicting Christ on the cross.
The Holy Cross Church in Hattula, Finland, is the oldest church in the former Tavastia (Häme) province.
The Church of St. Olaf is a medieval stone church in Jomala, Åland. It belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Dating from about 1260 to 1280, it is possibly the oldest Christian church in Finland, and was extended in the 19th century. It is constructed of local red granite and limestone. The church is dedicated to King Olaf II of Norway, patron saint of the Åland Islands and Jomala.
St. Olaf's Church, also known as Ulvila Church, is a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in Ulvila, Finland. The church is considered one of the best-preserved medieval fieldstone churches in Finland and is the only remaining structure from the medieval town of Ulvila. St. Olaf has been the patron saint of the church since before 1429.
Gryta Church is a medieval Lutheran church located in a shallow valley about 2 kilometers northeast of Örsundsbro, in the Archdiocese of Uppsala in Uppsala County, Sweden. A few hundred meters west of the church is Salnecke Castle, one of Sweden's best-preserved castles from the mid-17th century.
Tierp Church is a Lutheran church in Tierp, Uppsala County, Sweden. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Uppsala. The church is one of the largest countryside churches in Uppland and contains well-preserved medieval frescos.
The Church of St. Lawrence is a church in Vantaa, Finland. Dating back to ca. 1450, it is the oldest building in Vantaa and all of Greater Helsinki. It is also the main church of the Tikkurila Parish. Along with its surrounding neighborhood, the church is a part of the Helsingin pitäjän kirkonkylä district, which is one of the best preserved historical parishes in all of Finland.
Constructed between the years of 1460 and 1472, the Sauvo church is a medieval stone church located within Sauvo, Finland. A military cemetery exists at the church.
The Church of St. Lawrence is a church in Lohja, Finland. It is the third largest medieval parish church in Finland. The murals from early 16th century make it one of the most valuable medieval buildings in Finland. The rustic and naive murals depicted biblical stories for the illiterate population.
Rasbokil Church is a medieval church located north-east of Uppsala in Uppsala County, Sweden. It is part of the Archdiocese of Uppsala.
Siuntio St. Peter's Church is a gothic medieval stone church in Siuntio, Uusimaa, Finland, located in the old church village of Siuntio. The church is built out of grey stone between the years 1460 and 1480 next to a small stone chapel which was owned by a nearby Suitia Manor. St. Peter's Church is divided into three naves by three pairs of pilars that hold the brick vaults.
Saint Nicholas Church of Ingå is a medieval church in Ingå, Finland. The church is owned by the evangelical-lutheran parish of Ingå.
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