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Introduction Petajevesi Ancient Church

The Petajavesi Old Church is located in central Finland and was built in 1763-1765. The entire building is made of logs. It is a Lutheran church and is a unique traditional building typical of eastern Scandinavia. The church combines the main church styles of the Renaissance with ancient forms derived from the vaulted ceilings of Gothic architecture. Petajevesi Old Church was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

Heritage name: Petajevesi Old Church

Petäjävesi Old Church

Selected time: 1994

Selection Basis: Cultural Heritage (iv)

Location: N62 15 00 E25 11 00

Heritage Number: 584

Heritage Description:

Petäjävesi Old Church (Finnish: Petäjäveden vanha kirkko) is located in the municipality of Petäjävesi, Western Finland Province, Finland. just put into use. The bell tower adjacent to the church was built in 1821. From 1779, Petajevesi Old Church played the role of a subsidiary parish. In 1876, it officially became an independent neighborhood church. After the new church was opened in 1879, the old church was no longer used. This Lutheran church combines Renaissance church style and cross arches derived from Gothic architecture. The architecture is beautiful and it is a representative of wooden churches in the Nordic region.

In 1994, according to the cultural heritage selection criteria (iv), the Petajevesi Old Church was approved by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as a cultural heritage to be included in the “World Heritage List”.

Selection was based on criterion (iv): The Old Church of Petajavesi is an outstanding example of traditional Nordic timber church architecture.

Evaluation of the World Heritage Committee:

The Old Church of Petajevesi is located in central Finland and was built from 1763 to 1765 entirely of logs. This church is a unique church in Lutheran countries, reflecting the unique traditional architectural style of eastern Scandinavia, harmoniously combining the central church style of the Renaissance with the vaulted ceiling features derived from Gothic architecture. combine together.

History background

The Petajevesi Old Church was built in 1763-1764 as the village church of the Jemsey parish. But it was not put into service until 1778. From 1779, Petajevesi Old Church served as an affiliated parish, and it was not until 1876 that the church officially became an independent parish church. After the new church in Petajevesi was completed in 1879, the old church was not used. As early as 1761, the engineering drawings and architectural plans of the Petajevesi Old Church, designed by Yako, a woodworking technician from Lauka, were sent to Stockholm for approval.

The shape of the entire church is a cross of equal length. The dimensions of the main hall and the cross hall of the church are about 17 meters long and 7 meters wide. The roofs of the halls are made of somewhat angular red pine boards, and the joints of the boards are inlaid with ocher red wooden strips. This is a unique cross-shaped church layout: an octagonal cupola stands above the center of the cross, following the model of the middle church of the Renaissance, and this special structure is used in many Renaissance main churches. Church crosses can be found. The earliest prototype of this kind of building appeared in the 1760s, also in Finland.

The small upturned columns above the screens separating the choir and in front of the aisles of the church are also a Renaissance feature. In 1821, the windows forming the upper half of the hexagon inside the church were enlarged. But the windows near the choir, decorated with altarpieces, were left intact. After the expansion of the cross-shaped church, the chapel originally located in the north wing was moved to the south wing. By convention, the church’s pulpit dates back to before the church was founded, in a style similar to that of its mother church, Jemsey Church.

The altar decorations, and possibly the oil paintings on the walls of the altar, are the outstanding works of the famous oil painter Braum in 1843, which fully reproduce the demeanor of Martin Luther and Moses at that time. An old wedding brocade, which was used as the hangings of the front of the chapel, was sent to the Rijksmuseum for preservation in 1953 and was replaced by a replica. Steep, stacked roofs are a striking exterior feature of traditional Gothic architecture.

The cobblestones and weathervane posts on the triangular sides were replaced in 1953. The gate is located on the south side of the cross, and its upper part is in the same style as the windows, the panels of which are well preserved. The bell tower was built in 1821 by Giako Repin’s son Erki Repin. The thick wooden fence that surrounded the church yard had rotted away.