The Church of St. Michael, Keminmaa, Finland

Keminmaa old church is northest medieval church in Finland (built in 1520-1553) and one of the latest ones built before Reformation.

The paintings on the ceiling depict the sufferings of Christ; they date from 1650. The pictures of saints on the walls, the baptismal font and the holy-water font date from the Catholic times. The bier and stocks located in the church porch as well as the black pew standing inside the church itself remind us of the old parish tradition.

The fame of the Old Church of the Parish of Keminmaa is mostly based on the Lutheran priest, Nikolaus Rungius. He was the vicar of Kemi church during the Thirty Years War. Nikolaus Rungius died in 1629 and he was buried under the church in the tradition of the times.

User Reviews

Eetu Lämsä (4 years ago)
Too old and stony. 4G didn't work. I won't visit again.

Pop Pani (4 years ago)
Little and Amazing 400 year old church

joulupukin kaljamasu (5 years ago)
Miu

Marko M (6 years ago)
Suomen pohjoisin keskiaikainen kivikirkko, jonka tarina on varsin mielenkiintoinen. Mielenkiintoisin tarina liittyy luterilaiseen pappiin, Nikolaus Rungiukseen, joka toimi 30-vuotisen sodan aikana Kemin kirkkoherrana. Nikolaus Rungius kuoli vuonna 1629 ja hänet haudattiin kirkon kuoriin lattian alle, niin kuin monet muutkin hänen aikalaisensa. Rungiuksen lahoamaton ruumis on edelleenkin nähtävänä kirkon tiloissa. Rungiuksen tiedetään sanoneen: "Jos minun sanani eivät ole tosia, niin ruumiini mätänee, mutta jos ne ovat tosia, niin se ei mätäne." Jokainen voi itse käydä toteamassa, miten on.

Kurssit PRUK (6 years ago)

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Roman Moško

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History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.

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Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.

The Church of St. Michael

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