Keuruu Old Church

Keuruu, Finland

The wooden Old Church of Keuruu was built between 1756-1759. It’s very beautiful and well-preserved sample of the wooden church architecture in 18th century. The church was built by Antti Hakola. The original altarpiece was painted by Johan Backman in 1750s or 1760s. Now it’s moved to the National Museum in Helsinki and there’s a copy in the church.

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Address

Vanhankirkontie 12, Keuruu, Finland
See all sites in Keuruu

Details

Founded: 1756-1759
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: The Age of Enlightenment (Finland)

More Information

finnish-churches.blogspot.com
www.avoinmuseo.fi

Rating

3.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Petäjävesi Old Church (24,5 km)
Pihlajavesi Wilderness Church (21,7 km)
Serlachius Museums (26,1 km)
Kuorevesi Church (35,9 km)

User Reviews

Risto Kurki (5 months ago)
Kaunis kirkko.
Orava (5 months ago)
Kiva
Kari Kangas (9 months ago)
Keuruun vanha kirkko rakennettiin vuosina 1756–59. Sen erikoisuuksiin kuuluvat peittämättöminä säilyneet seinämaalaukset. Vuoteen 1780 asti Keuruun vanha kirkko oli kuitenkin maalaamaton. Suurimman osan maalauksista on maalannut koristemaalari Johan Tilén, joka työskenteli Keuruulla vuosina 1782-1786. Hänen töitään ovat lehtereiden kaiteet lukuun ottamatta etelälehteriä, saarnastuolin peilit, kattoholvit ja seinät. Pysäköintitilaa on niukanlaisesti, mutta tapahtumien ulkopuolella varmaan riittävästi. Paikalla on opas, joka ainakin kesällä 2018 oli aktiivinen, mutta varsinaista opastusta ei ollut eikä mitään esittelylehtistäkään. Mielestäni maksulliseen, näinkin merkittävään kohteeseen kuuluísi automaattisesti opastus.
Marko M (11 months ago)
Keuruun vanha kirkko on puukirkko, joka toimii nykyisin museokirkkona (eli sinne on maksettava pääsymaksu). Kirkkosalissa on kuitenkin upeita maalauksia, sakastissa jonkin verran kirkon historiaan liittyvää esineistöä (mm. edeltävän kirkon alttari) ja paljon muuta nähtävää. Guides speak english too.
Pekka Niskanen (11 months ago)
Hieno vanha kirkko, aikakapseli menneeseen.
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Limburg Cathedral

The Cathedral of Limburg is one of the best preserved late Romanesque style buildings. It is unknown When the first church was built above the Lahn river. Archaeological discoveries have revealed traces of a 9th-century church building in the area of the current chapel. It was probably built in Merovingian times as a castle and the chapel added in the early 9th century.

In 910 AD, Count Konrad Kurzbold (cousin of the future King Konrad I) founded a collegiate chapter of 18 canons, who lived according to the rule of Bishop Chrodegang of Metz, on the hilltop site. The original castle chapel was torn down and a three-aisled basilica was built in its place. The foundations of this basilica have been found beneath the present floor.

The construction of current cathedral is dated to 1180-90. The consecration was performed in 1235 by the archbishop of Trier. It seems certain that the cathedral was built in four stages. The first stage encompassed the west facade, the south side aisle, the choir and the transept up to the matroneum. This section forms the Conradine church. The second stage consisted of the addition of the inner pillars of the south nave. In this stage the bound system was first introduced. In the third phase, the matroneum in the southern nave was built. The fourth stage included the north side of the transept and the choir matroneum. By this stage Gothic influence is very clear.

The interior was destroyed by Swedish soldiers during the Thirty Years War (1618-48) and reconstructed in a late Baroque style in 1749. The Baroque renovation was heavy-handed: the surviving medieval stained glass windows were replaced; all the murals were covered up; the ribs of the vaults and columns of the arcades were painted blue and red; the capstones were gilded; the original high altar was replaced. The colorfully painted exterior was coated in plain white and the central tower was extended by 6.5 meters.

The collegiate chapter of Limburg was dissolved in 1803 during the Napoleonic period, but then raised to the rank of cathedral in 1827 when the bishopric of Limburg was founded. Some renovations in contemporary style followed: the walls were coated white, the windows were redone in blue and orange (the heraldic colors of the Duke of Nassau) and towers were added to the south transept (1865).

Further changes came after Limburg was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866. It was now the Romantic period and the cathedral was accordingly restored to an idealized vision of its original Romanesque appearance. The exterior stonework was stripped of all its plaster and paint, to better conform with the Romantic ideal of a medieval church growing out of the rock. The Baroque interior was stripped away and the wall paintings were uncovered and repainted.

Further renovations came in 1934-35, enlightened by better knowledge of the original art and architecture. Art Nouveau stained glass windows were also added. A major restoration in 1965-90 included replastering and painting the exterior, both to restore it to its original appearance and to protect the stonework, which was rapidly deteriorating while exposed to the elements.

The interior is covered in medieval frescoes dating from 1220 to 1235. They are magnificent and important survivals, but time has not been terribly kind to them - they were whitewashed over in the Baroque period (1749) and uncovered and repainted with a heavy hand in the Romantic period (1870s) before finally being restored more sensitively in the 1980s.

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