Ulvila Church

Ulvila, Finland

The Ulvila Church, dedicated to St. Olaf, is one of the most significant medieval buildings in Finland. The first church was built probably in 13th century to Liikistö, which was a local trade centre. According old documents the graveyard around the church was consecrated in 1347 and church was burnt badly in 1429. Historians believe that the present stone church was built after that between 1495-1510.

There are several medieval and newer artefacts inside the church, for example crucifix and statue of St. Olaf from the 1430s and communion cup from the end of Middle Ages.

The Church has been renovated several times. During the latest renovation in 2005 archaeologists found the biggest medieval coin treasure in Finland. It was buried near the sacristy stone wall in 1390s and included 1476 silver coins.

Comments

Your name


Address

Saarentie 2-44, Ulvila, Finland
See all sites in Ulvila

Details

Founded: 1495-1510
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: Middle Ages (Finland)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.maisa.fi
www.ulvila.fi

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


The Old Courthouse (7 km)
Central Pori Church (6,6 km)


Old Rauma (40,2 km)
The Church of the Holy Cross (40,1 km)
Rauma Maritime Museum (40,6 km)
The Church of the Holy Trinity (40,3 km)
Sammallahdenmäki (36,5 km)
Reposaari Fortress (29,4 km)
Juselius Mausoleum (8,2 km)
Irjanne Church (22,9 km)
St. Henry's Chapel (33,2 km)

User Reviews

Pertti Toivanen (2 months ago)
A wonderful medieval place of silence!
Jorma Lindqvist (5 months ago)
Very beautiful and historic medieval church. A small, also interesting museum assembled in the armory. The environment is also worth experiencing
H (6 months ago)
The doors to the church were open and we assumed the visit was permissible. However, a confirmation exercise was underway and apparently visitors are not welcome at that time as it was pointed out. Someone patching the door or closing the doors could work better than a little silly note on the front of the church. Besides, I don’t think the occasional visitor causes so much distraction that it would be detrimental to the exercise.
matthew reuben (2 years ago)
Beautiful 700 year old church!
Kalevi Virtanen (2 years ago)
Old church build during the 16th century.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Giåm

Historic Site of the week

Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2021 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.