Sodankylä Old Church

Sodankylä, Finland

Built in 1689 for the people of central Lapland, the old timber church in Sodankylä is one of the wooden churches to survive in Lapland and one of the oldest in Finland. Following the completion of the new stone church, the old church was decommissioned in 1859. In terms of style, the church is a sample of Finnish medieval ecclesiastic architecture and Ostrobothnian wooden church designs. The church was restored in 1926 and the shingled roof and external cladding repaired during 1992-95 by the National Board on Antiquities. The church is unique in having preserved its original design and atmosphere throughout centuries.

Prayer meetings are held in the church in summer, and it is a specially popular venue for weddings.

Reference: Sodankylä Municipality

Address

Kirkkotie 1-5, Sodankylä, Finland

See all sites in Sodankylä

Details

Founded: 1689
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: Swedish Empire (Finland)

More Information

www.sodankyla.fi

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Sodankylä Church (0,1 km)

User Reviews

Aleksander Kuberacki (15 months ago)
Amazing church!

Stefan Stöhr (17 months ago)
A beautiful wooden church. This is located just a few minutes from the center. The church was built in 1689 and restored in the 1920s. Unfortunately, the church is currently not open to visitors. But the view from the outside is also worth a visit.

M Juntunen (17 months ago)
A fine and impressive wooden church built in 1689. There are many interesting details in the church, for example the ridge comb of the water roof and the pennants on the roof.

David Caballero (2 years ago)
It may not be worth going expressly, but if you pass through the area, be sure to visit the church and the attached cemetery. A beauty, an island of tranquility. We visited in winter and the atmosphere with the snow is fantastic

Pertti A. Ervasti (3 years ago)
The odour of tar was good.

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 CONTROTONO

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.