Tornio Church

Tornio, Finland

The church was designed and completed by Matti Härmä in 1686. It is dedicated to the Swedish Queen Eleonora. The construction is based on the medieval tradition of church building in Pohjanmaa area (Mustasaari and Pedersöre churches). Tornio church is one of oldest and most well-preserved wooden churches in the Northern Finland and Scandinavia.

In the 18th century French scientist Maupertuis did measurements in Finnish Lapland to determine the shape of the Earth. The starting point was the bell tower of the church.

The church is open summertime, other times by request.

Hieno kirkko

Address

Seminaarinkatu 2, Tornio, Finland

See all sites in Tornio

Details

Founded: 1686
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: Swedish Empire (Finland)

More Information

www.haparandatornio.com

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Alatornio Church (2,3 km)

Kemi Church (23,2 km)
Keminmaa New Church (18,9 km)
The Church of St. Michael (18,7 km)
Karunki Church (21,9 km)
Hietaniemi Church (45,1 km)

User Reviews

Regina Garcia (3 years ago)
Closed in winter even though they say in their website that they are open.

Dennis Straat (3 years ago)
Beautiful but unfortunately closed from 1. August

Arto Kallio (3 years ago)
Interesting place, very friendly and informant your guide.

Barongo Adam (5 years ago)
It's amazing how the old wooden architectural roof has held its self together against nature

Timo TAULAVUORI (6 years ago)
One og the oldest wooden churches in Finland since 1682.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

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.