The St. Mary's Church is a medieval stone church located in Maaria. There are no records as to when the present church was built, but the work was probably started in the mid or late 15th century. According to Markus Hiekkanen, the church was probably built in the 1440s. On the basis of the style of the closets, the gables were constructed about 50 years later.
There are medieval limestone paintings on the walls, which are not common to other places in Finland. The most valuable artefacts are the wooden alter cabinet and large altarpiece depicting Christ on the cross.
References:My grandfather, Pastor Alpo Setala, was the Pastor of this church during the years approximately 1930 - 1947. He then moved my father and the rest of the family to the United States.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.
