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Matti Riikonen (4 years ago)
Own municipality's church
Own municipality's church
Mari Raittinen (4 years ago)
Beautiful
Beautiful
Kirkkosaari ("The Church Island", also known as Köyliönsaari) is one of the oldest places of residence in Satakunta area. Two Iron Age cemeteries are located at the north side of Kirkkosaari.
According the legend Lalli, the pagan chief of Kirkkosaari manor, killed bishop Henry on the ice of lake Köyliönjärvi on January 20, 1156. Although Henry has never been officially canonized, he has been referred to as a saint since as early as 1296 according to a papal document of the time. After this the manor and island was moved as the property of Turku bishop. Since 1746 the manor has been owned by Cedercreutz family and is still in private use. Present buildings are from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The church of Köyliö has been in Kirkkosaari since the Middle Ages. The present wooden church was built in 1752 to the old cemetery site. There are also some remains of the medieval chapel in Kirkkosaari manor garden.
Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.