Rating
4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)
User Reviews
Jozsef Liechtenstein Zabrak (4 years ago)
Bálint Savanyó (6 years ago)
ŐRI AGRO (7 years ago)
The main sight in Őriszentpéter is the Romanesque memorial church, built around 1230, then expanded in the 14th-15th century in Gothic style and converted into a fortress about 1550. The western portal is worthy of attention. The mediaeval church was decorated with frescoes, not only inside, but also outside. Most of them have been destroyed, just a few fragments have survived on the south outer wall. In the 17th century, quotations from the Bible were painted on the wall in the nave and the sanctuary, and these can still be seen today. The interior furnishings were produced to designs by church artist János Klonfár. A picture of St. Peter (Márton Michl,1801) is hung in the sanctuary. The church was last renovated in 2001.
References:Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.
German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.
After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.