Kerimäki Church

Kerimäki, Finland

The Kerimäki Church is the largest wooden church in the world. Designed by Anders Fredrik Granstedt and built between 1844 and 1847, the church has a length of 45 metres (148 ft), a width of 42 m (138 ft), a height of 37 m (121 ft) and a seating capacity of more than 3,000. Altogether there can be 5,000 people at a time in the church.

It has been rumoured that the size of the church was the result of a miscalculation when it was built (supposedly the architect was working in centimetres, which the builder took to be inches, which are 2.54 times larger). Further studies, however, have shown that the church was actually intended to be as big as it is, so it could easily accommodate a half of the area's population at the same time.

During wintertime, services are held in a smaller "winter church" (built in 1953), since the main building has no heating.

Reference: Wikipedia

Address

Kirkkotie, Kerimäki, Finland

See all sites in Kerimäki

Details

Founded: 1844-1847
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: Russian Grand Duchy (Finland)

More Information

www.finnguide.fi
www.kolumbus.fi
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Olavinlinna (20,8 km)
The Savonlinna Provincial Museum (21,1 km)
Savonlinna Cathedral (21,9 km)
Pikkukirkko (21,3 km)
Parikkala Church (42,5 km)
Orivirran Saarto (27,5 km)

User Reviews

Derek Heath (2 months ago)
Incredible building built purely with wood. Impressive sight.

Markus Ihle (2 months ago)
Most impressive wooden church that I have ever seen!

bli tunke (3 months ago)
You should definitely take a break here.

Karin Klose (3 months ago)
Very interesting history, and beautiful.

Laura Räsänen (3 months ago)
A beautiful old church.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Staffan O Andersson

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The stone church of Gamla Uppsala, built over the pagan temple, dates from the early 12th century. Due to fire and renovations, the present church is only a remnant of the original cathedral.

Before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of Swedish kings and a ceremonial site known all over northern Europe. The settlement was home to royal palaces, a royal burial ground, and a great pagan temple. The Uppsala temple, which was described in detail by Adam of Bremen in the 1070s, housed wooden statues of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr. A golden chain hung across its gables and the inside was richly decorated with gold. The temple had priests, who sacrificed to the gods according to the needs of the people.

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