I almost feel like I’m stuck in Finland with my posts right now. I must be missing it even though many of my friends there have told me, that beautiful summer is only a memory anymore. Fall has arrived in Finland as well. Oh well, maybe at some point I will be able to move on, but for now, a few words about the churches there. Almost 80% of the population in Finland belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which means that every town has its own Lutheran church. We first started to visit churches, since my American husband was interested in seeing them, and I soon realised that they are actually very interesting. All of the churches have their own history and a story to tell, and I have been surprised about how beautiful these buildings are.
PETÄJÄVESI OLD CHURCH
When thinking about a church which has impressed me the most, the Petäjävesi Old Church is absolutely on the top. Thank you to our friends in Jyväskylä who took us there for a visit. Even though the church is not very big, it mesmerises with its many stories and long history. Squeaky planks on the floor and decorative paintings on the wall will take you to a totally different era. This wooden church was built between 1763-64, and next to it is an old cemetery and bell tower which was built later. Petäjävesi Old Church represents eastern Scandinavian wooden church building at its best, and is one the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Finland.
As you can see from the photos, our visit to Petäjävesi was some years ago when our older daughter was still quite small. This church was really interesting with many cool stories from history.
KERIMÄKI CHURCH
Kerimäki Church is not as beautiful as Petäjävesi, but it was very impressive in other ways. It is said to be the world’s biggest wooden church. And it truly felt quite big while walking around inside with other visitors. The church was built in 1847. Some legends say the size of the church was a mistake; like mixing up centimetres with inches or mixed up architect’s papers. Most likely they just wanted to make sure that half of the town’s people would fit in at once. During that time, there were 12,000 inhabitants in Kerimäki, and the church can accommodate 4 or 5 thousand people inside it. There are 3,300 seats in the church.
When we visited Kerimäki Church they had an exhibition of wooden paupers inside the church. We were also able to climb up to the bell tower next to the building.
TEMPPELIAUKIO CHURCH
This summer, on our road trip in Finland, we visited the Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki. In 1961 two brothers; Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen won an architect contest with their special plan to quarry the church into the face of a huge rock. The church was inaugurated to use in 1969 and it was first called Taivallahti Church. The name was later changed. While visiting the church, one of the things you definitely notice, is the copper coated dome. Some natural light will come in from a ceiling window, and the altarpiece is a cracked rock from the ice age. Because of its excellent acoustics, the church is very popular place for concerts. It is one of the most popular sights in Helsinki.
ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH
We visited St. Michael’s Church this summer without an actual plan to go there. We drove by, and since we had some time, we decided to go in. And wow! I had no idea that there was such a beautiful church in Finland. It was built between 1899 and 1905, and it represents Art Nouveau and Gothic styles. There is a fascinating story of how the church was designed. The architect Lars Sonck, who was only a 24 year old student at the time, won an architecture contest with his design. The older architects didn’t approve, and they even planned to expel him from the school. Even though the church is truly magnificent, Sonck himself was never happy with his design and made many changes to it during construction. Later while visiting Turku, he never wanted to see the church.
KORSHOLM CHURCH
I visited Korsholm Church a few years ago while visiting a friend in Vaasa. I wanted to see Old Vaasa, so while there, we also went into the church. The church was built in 1786 and it was actually a building for the Vaasa court. It is one of the rare buildings that survived the city fire in 1852. After the fire the whole town was moved to a different location, and also the court moved. Their old building was retrofitted into a church between 1862-63.
The church is very popular for weddings and very busy on weekends during the summer. Even when we were visiting, they had a photo shoot outside, and inside of the church, the cantor was practicing the wedding march. While listening to the church organs and the beautiful music, it was hard to keep yourself from tearing up.
We like visiting churches and reading about their history. Many times if visiting during the summer, there is a guide who will answer your questions. Or you can of course, read a bit about the history of the church before going for a visit. Many churches have quite colorful pasts, and many notable people have been buried in the church cemeteries. I absolutely recommend visiting some local churches while traveling!
What is the most memorable church you have visited?
MORE ABOUT FINLAND…
Please i need your help please
I didn’t realize that the Lutheran church was so strong in Finland. Each church showed a slightly different style but that’s pretty amazing to have one recognized as a UNESCO site. While I liked the old time wooden churches, Korsholm was my favorite. Not surprised that I like the one that was a court at one point since I’m a lawyer! Annick
Lutheran Church has a very long history in Finland, so it is very strong. I like the Korsholm Church as well even though it is very different from others. It is beautiful!
Unlike most churches that I’ve seen in Europe, Petäjävesi seems like a beautiful and simple village church with its wooden interiors. All of them are beautiful architecturally but this one struck me particularly because it’s unique and yet so lovely. I love exploring churches when I travel!
Me too. We often visit churches in different countries. Petäjävesi Church is my ultimate favorite because of its history.
Finland has such beautiful architectural structures. I like the calmness that exist inside the churches. Thanks for listing these which will help people in planning their Finland itinerary
I hope this helps someone planning a trip there. There is so much to see in Finland.
Finland has unique churches and great to know about Evangelical Lutheran Church and every city in Finland has this type of church. Petäjävesi Old Church a wooden church is very impressive and it is truly best in eastern Scandinavian. That yellow colored KERIMÄKI CHURCH is very beautiful and also it is interesting to know that there were some mistakes in measurements like inches to meters or meters to inches in architect’s. papers. You have taken wonderful shots of all churches.
Thank you Yukti! Kerimäki Church is different and beautiful. I had never seen anything like that.
Finland seems to be having some really unique churches. These definitely come across as must visit churches when in Finland. Never seen one like the Petäjävesi Old Church. Its so earthy and beautiful. No wonder it a one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Love the yellow color of Kerimäki Church. the Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki gives a sense of being in another age and time. Added them on our list as would love to see these 3 for sure. Think exploring Finland on a road trip is great idea.
I’m glad if they made it to your list. Hope you get to visit Finland someday!
Kerimaki Church looks so amazing! I haven’t been in Finland yet and I have yet to research about the country. I didn’t know that there are a lot of Church in tour country. I hope I can visit soon.
I hope so too! It is such a beautiful country and worth of visit.
While am not much of a Church kinda person, but your pictures make me want to change that. It was really interesting to experience the churches through your eyes.
I didn’t use to be either but I have slowly realised how interesting piece of history they are.
I’m not very religious but the architecture of some of these churches looks absolutely amazing! I would love to visit the Korsholm Church. It’s really interesting that what was once a court was turned into a church.
Yes, I understand. My visits to these churches was purely out of interest to see what they look like, as they had a big role in Finnish history.
For many, this could be part of faith tourism. I am not a religious person however, churches are buildings that tells a lot of stories. And the architectures are one of a kind.
I think any church can be interesting also from other aspects than just religious. They have a lot of history in them and they are often architecturally important.