Petäjävesi Old Church, Petäjävesi, Finland

Petäjävesi old church was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. It was designed and built in 1763-64 by a local peasant master-builder, and in 1821 his grandson added the bell tower at the west end. Petäjävesi was then part of the Jämsä congregation, but the trip to Jämsä church was too long for local people. The Crown of Sweden had accepted the request to build a graveyard and a small village church at their own expense as early as in 1728, but building was delayed nearly forty years. The church was located to a typical old countryside site. It was chosen so that the parishioners got easily there by boat or in the winter stay over.

When the newer church was completed in 1879, old church was abandoded for nearly for decades. The period of neglect between 1879 and the 1920s was a blessing in disguise. The historical importance of the church was noticed first by the Austrian art historian Josef Strzygowski in the 1920s. After 1929 church is renovated several times.

Petäjävesi olf church is a very unique and well-preserved wooden church representing the wooden architecture tradition of eastern Scandinavia. Nowadays it’s a popular tourist attraction and open every day in summer time (in winter season by appointment).

Address

Vanhankirkontie 7, Petäjävesi, Finland

See all sites in Petäjävesi

Details

Founded: 1763-1764
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: The Age of Enlightenment (Finland)

More Information

www.petajavesi.fi
en.wikipedia.org
whc.unesco.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Aviation Museum of Central Finland (29,9 km)
Keuruu Old Church (24,5 km)
Muurame Church (28,5 km)
Kuorevesi Church (42,5 km)

User Reviews

Satu (17 months ago)
Lovely to see this online, hope to visit one day, my relatives are from this area and would be wonderful to go there. The photo of the old church in the frame I put up, is an old one that I inherited from my mother years ago.

Marco Giustiniani (2 years ago)
Just one area to visit but very interesting. Had an English tour that was pretty detailed. Amazing how a wooden structure is intact and well preserved. Easy to reach and don't lose the cemetery around the church.

Suryanarayan Ganesh (2 years ago)
One of the best wooden churches I have been to - very quaint, simple, unique & well-preserved! A must visit if you are in Jyvaskala.

Ronald van Dieen (2 years ago)
Beautiful old wooden church. Definitely worth visiting!

Jiří Marvan (2 years ago)
A certainly unique church made entirely out of wood. What distinguishes it from other similar churches in Finland is that it has been preserved in its original state so its current visitors can time travel to 18th century and admire this gem. Special shout out to the very friendly and knowledgeable staff, happy to give more details about the church's history and answer any questions in fluent English.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

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Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Petäjävesi Old Church