St. Mary's Church

Hamina, Finland

The Vehkalahti Church (today known as the St. Mary's Church) was built in the 14th century at the place were the town of Hamina is now. The history of Vehkalahti churches begins in 1396, when the first mention of town was written to a letter by Vyborg castle lord.

The present stone church was built probably between 1430 and 1470. Because of it's location near the Russian border it was robbed and burned twice in wars during the 16th century. Church burnt also 1821 in fire of Hamina and got brand new outfit by the famous architect Carl Ludvig Engel.

Address

Pikkuympyräkatu 38, Hamina, Finland

See all sites in Hamina

Details

Founded: 1430-1470
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: Middle Ages (Finland)

More Information

www.hamina.fi
www.muuka.com

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

St. John's Church (0,2 km)
Town Hall (0,2 km)
Hamina Fortress (0,2 km)
The Church of Peter and Paul (0,2 km)

Maritime Centre Vellamo (17,7 km)
Kotka Church (18,6 km)
Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas (18,1 km)
The Salpa Line Museum (29,3 km)
Ruotsinsalmi Sea Fortress (19,8 km)
Virolahti Stone Sacristy (27,5 km)
Anjala Manor (25,4 km)
Kyminlinna (18,6 km)
Kyminkartano Manor (18,7 km)

User Reviews

Vadim Zherdev (12 months ago)
Old but renewed, clean interior

Erja Puhakka (3 years ago)
A lovely little church and what an atmosphere♥️Historical and peaceful you could touch with your hands?

Roosa M (5 years ago)
Adorable church near the center.

Ari Hyvönen (5 years ago)
Ok

Jani (5 years ago)
A nice and spacious yard for a historical revival camp. The church is somewhat obstructed from the inside, but modified. And yet it is Hamina's oldest building from hundreds of years ago.

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 caminanteK

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.