The Church of the Holy Cross, Rauma, Finland

The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).

The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.

The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.

The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.

User Reviews

DarkShadow (6 years ago)
Beautiful old stone church.

Mirta Martin (6 years ago)
Kaunis ja historiallisesti rikas kirkko. (On Suomen suosituimpia tiekirkkoja). Kesäisin paikalla kirkko-opas. Kirkossa järjestetään perus messujen lisäksi musiikkitilaisuuksia, perheille suunnattua ohjelmaa ja nuorten toteuttamia messuja.

Lluis Calis (6 years ago)
Lutheran church. Celebration was at 15:00h. After that we all went to eat and drink coffee next to the curch for free.

Miikael Arvio (7 years ago)
Tere is

david ng (8 years ago)
Beautiful old church situated next to the old town

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Mark1792

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The Church of the Holy Cross

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