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.

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Address

Rovaniementie 126-140, Keminmaa, Finland
See all sites in Keminmaa

Details

Founded: 1520-1553
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: Middle Ages (Finland)

More Information

members.virtualtourist.com
keminmaa.seurakunta.net

Rating

5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Keminmaa New Church (0,2 km)


Kemi Church (9 km)
Tornio Church (18,7 km)
Alatornio Church (17,8 km)
Simo Church (23,8 km)
Tervola Old Church (32,2 km)
Tervola Church (32,2 km)

User Reviews

Marko M (9 months 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 (10 months ago)
Jane Fagerström (13 months ago)
Upea vanha kirkko, joka tunnetaan muumiostaan, jonka näin ensimmäisen kerran 1980-luvulla: Se jäi mieleen. Kesällä 2017 kirkon ympärys rehotti jokseenkin villin näköisenä, mysteerisenä.
Rob Davis (14 months ago)
Lovely little 400 year old church just outside of Kemi. Worth a look in you're in the area.
Emerson S. (16 months ago)
Very interesting church, full of History and well conserved, worth a visit.
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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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