Närpiö Church, Närpiö, Finland

The church of Närpes was originally built around 1550-1555, but it has been expanded several times during the 17th and 18th centuries. The church itself, surrounding magazines and stables creates an unique historical milieu in Finland.

User Reviews

Claseric Gull (2 months ago)
Lugnt o fint, mycket ljus på kyrkogården nu på alla helgons dag,

P R (5 months ago)
Old church stables worth seeing, the oldest of which are from the 18th century. As you drive down the road, the church halls are a magnificent sight.

Alexander Ginlund (6 months ago)
Renovations in several stages. Still harmony between the church tower & the belfry! Spready in a good way.

Mari Kumpulainen (6 months ago)
Quite a special place with unique horse stables around the church. Didn’t get inside the church due to opening times, but the stables and beautiful cemetary were worth visiting

Tuija Peltonen (6 months ago)
Närpiö Church and the old church stables are worth seeing. The area is also surrounded by a stunning field landscape, which of course is quite common on this side of Finland. The cemetery and the whole area are excellently well maintained. We couldn’t get to church on this trip inside, but the place was impressive from the outside as well.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright mike catalonian

Historic Site of the week

Arles Amphitheatre

The two-tiered Roman amphitheatre is probably the most prominent tourist attraction in the city of Arles, which thrived in Roman times. Built in 90 AD, the amphitheatre was capable of seating over 20,000 spectators, and was built to provide entertainment in the form of chariot races and bloody hand-to-hand battles. Today, it draws large crowds for bullfighting as well as plays and concerts in summer.

The building measures 136 m in length and 109 m wide, and features 120 arches. It has an oval arena surrounded by terraces, arcades on two levels (60 in all), bleachers, a system of galleries, drainage system in many corridors of access and staircases for a quick exit from the crowd. It was obviously inspired by the Colosseum in Rome (in 72-80), being built slightly later (in 90).

With the fall of the Empire in the 5th century, the amphitheatre became a shelter for the population and was transformed into a fortress with four towers (the southern tower is not restored). The structure encircled more than 200 houses, becoming a real town, with its public square built in the centre of the arena and two chapels, one in the centre of the building, and another one at the base of the west tower.

This new residential role continued until the late 18th century, and in 1825 through the initiative of the writer Prosper Mérimée, the change to national historical monument began. In 1826, expropriation began of the houses built within the building, which ended by 1830 when the first event was organized in the arena - a race of the bulls to celebrate the taking of Algiers.

Arles Amphitheatre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with other Roman buildings of the city, as part of the Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments group.

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