Top Historic Sights in Eurajoki, Finland
Explore the historic highlights of Eurajoki
Irjanne Church
The church in Irjanne village is the oldest wooden church in Satakunta county. It was built in 1731 to replace the older medieval church. The bell tower wad erected in 1758. Old cemetery and church park surround the church.Vuojoki Mansion
The manor house of Vuojoki is one of the most beautiful empire mansions in Finland. Vuojoki is mentioned in historical documents in the 16th century. First manor was established in 1626 by Gottfrid von Falkenberg.Vuojoki Mansion did not really flourish until the 1830s, when captain Lars Magnus Björkman (ennobled in 1834 Björkenheim) bought it. Lars Magnus Björkenheim built the current buildings and drafted an ambitious ...Liinmaa Castle
Liinmaa Castle ("Vreghdenborch") was a medieval castle in Eura. In 1367 Albrecht von Mecklenburg, the king of Sweden, ordered to demolish a castle in Kokemäki. It was replaced by two new castles, one in Liinmaa and another in Linnaluoto (Aborch). Liinmaa castle contained two inner ground walls, wooden structures and a moat. The story of Liinmaa castle was very short: it was abandoded in the beginning of the 15th century ...Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Historic Site of the week
Abbey of Saint-Étienne
The Abbey of Saint-Etienne, also known as Abbaye aux Hommes ('Men"s Abbey'), is a former monastery dedicated to Saint Stephen (Saint Étienne). It is considered, along with the neighbouring Abbaye aux Dames ('Ladies" Abbey'), to be one of the most notable Romanesque buildings in Normandy. Like all the major abbeys in Normandy, it was Benedictine.
Lanfranc, before being an Archbishop of Canterbury, was abbot of Saint-Etienne. Built in Caen stone during the 11th century, the two semi-completed churches stood for many decades in competition. An important feature added to both churches in about 1120 was the ribbed vault, used for the first time in France. The two abbey churches are considered forerunners of the Gothic architecture. The original Romanesque apse was replaced in 1166 by an early Gothic chevet, complete with rosette windows and flying buttresses. Nine towers and spires were added in the 13th century. The interior vaulting shows a similar progression, beginning with early sexpartite vaulting (using circular ribs) in the nave and progressing to quadipartite vaults (using pointed ribs) in the sanctuary.
The two monasteries were finally donated by William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda of Flanders, as penalty for their marriage against the Pope"s ruling. William was buried here; Matilda was buried in the Abbaye aux Dames. Unfortunately William"s original tombstone of black marble, the same kind as Matilda"s in the Abbaye aux Dames, was destroyed by the Calvinist iconoclasts in the 16th century and his bones scattered.
As a consequence of the Wars of Religion, the high lantern tower in the middle of the church collapsed and was never rebuilt. The Benedictine abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution and the abbey church became a parish church. From 1804 to 1961, the abbey buildings accommodated a prestigious high school, the Lycée Malherbe. During the Normandy Landings in 1944, inhabitants of Caen found refuge in the church; on the rooftop there was a red cross, made with blood on a sheet, to show that it was a hospital (to avoid bombings).