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Founded: 1676Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Finland
Historical period: Swedish Empire (Finland)
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The history of Orisberg mansion dates back to 1676, when the mayor of Vaasa, James Rossi, with his partners were licensed to establish and ironworks to Orisberg. There were 11 owners, until in 1783 a Stockholm merchant and shipowner, Bengt Björkman, acquired Orisberg and several other ironworks in Finland. Due the nobility family name later was changed to Björkenheim.
Captain Lars Magnus and Lovisa Wilhelmiina Björkman host of the manor as a pair and they begged permission to hire a priest and build their own church. These permits were granted and the mansion was an independent parish for 40 years from 1828 to 1868. Orisberg church, bell tower and the parsonage was designed by architect Carl Ludvig Engel.
In addition to managing a small church pastor's duties included work as a teacher. Because there were not yet elementary schools the wealthiest people sent their children to school in Orisberg even over long distances.
Today Orisberg is one of the recreation centers run by Logos Ministries in Finland, an organization within the Lutheran Church of Finland. It offers services for visitors in the summer time. There are cabins for rent, well equipped camping area for tents and caravans, cooking facilities, sauna by a small lake. A café in an old vicarage serves delicious meals. The place still belongs to the manor Orisberg (Björkenheim), which is still a working farm.
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.