St. Henry's Chapel

Kokemäki, Finland

The St. Henry's Chapel is a medieval wooden barn, which was surrounded by the present brick chapel in 1857. According the legend St. Henry, the first bishop of Finland, spent his last night in the barn before local peasant Lalli murdered him in 1156. Although according modern archeological investigations oldest parts of the barn were made in 1472-1473. Oldest records from the 17th century tells that the barn has been a destination for local pilgrimages.

Senate of Finland decided to protect the barn as the national heritage in 1839. Architect Pehr Johan Gylich designed the chapel around barn to shelter it. The chapel was inaugurated in 1857.

The chapel is open to the public in July with no admission fee.

Address

Risteentie 2-18, Kokemäki, Finland

See all sites in Kokemäki

Details

Founded: 1857 (the Chapel)
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: Russian Grand Duchy (Finland)

Rating

4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Kokemäki Church (0,9 km)
Kokemäki Stone Sacristy (0,9 km)
Kokemäki Castle (4,1 km)

Kuninkaanhauta (21,5 km)
Ulvila Church (33,2 km)
Kirkkosaari (15,4 km)
Kirkkokari (12,4 km)
Yläne Church (41,8 km)
Pöytyä Church (57,1 km)
Kauttua Ironworks (19,7 km)
The Church of St. Catherine (19,3 km)
Luistari Burial Ground (20 km)

User Reviews

mikko kettukangas (2 years ago)
In a beautiful park at the ancient market place of Teljä stands a small round brick chapel, which preserves the oldest surviving log building in our country. From this Kokemäki collision, our good pious Henrik left for his last journey.

Juha Lehtinen (2 years ago)
Mukavalla paikalla, kaunis, löytyy helposti, esteetön kulku, selkeä, siisti. Suosittelen poikkeamaan jos seudulla liikkuu

Päivi Mäkinen (5 years ago)
A special, historical attraction on the banks of the Kokemäenjoki River in a great location! In order to see the log building, you must pick up the chapel key from Kokemäki City Office.

Kari Mäkilä (6 years ago)
Bishop Henrik spent the night here before he died. It would be nice to get some guidance and take a look inside. You should probably make an appointment in advance.

S0fi (6 years ago)
Ok

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright caminanteK

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.