Kirkkokari (the Church Islet) is a small island in the Lake Köyliö. It is the only Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in Finland and one of the few in Nordic countries. The 0,30 hectare islet is also called as the Saint Henry's Island.
According to an old legend, Saint Henry was murdered on the ice of Lake Köyliö nearby Kirkkokari in January 1156. During the 13th century the island became a pilgrimage site for Catholics. It was named by a chapel that was built on the island in the 14th century. Foundations of the church are still seen in Kirkkokari as well as the monument of Christianization of Finland (1955) and Saint Henry's altar, which was built in 1999.
The Finnish Roman Catholic Church arranges an yearly pilgrimage to Kirkkokari via the Saint Henry's Road. The 140 kilometre long journey starts from the city of Turku. It ends on a memorial service in Kirkkokari on the last pre-Midsummer sunday.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.