The Church of St. Henry, Nousiainen, Finland

The first record of church in Nousiainen dates back to the year 1232. This refers to a smaller church dedicated to Our Lady which was probably built of wood. Nousiainen was a home of archdiocese in Finland from the early Middle Age and there have probably been several wooden churches before the present one. Archaeologists have found from the church area remains of graveyards dated back to the beginning of 11th century.

St. Henry, the legendary first bishop of Finland, was originally buried to the church of Nousiainen. His remains were moved to the Turku Cathedral in 1290s. Also the present stone church, built in 1420-1430, is dedicated to St. Henry. There's still a decorative sarcophagus in church of St. Henry, donated by the bishop Maunu Tawast in 1429.

The present church has been renovated at least in 1377, 1770, 1786, 1847, 1901, 1936 and 1967-1969. The National Board of Antiquities has named the church site as national built heritage.

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.

Leila Laaksonen (3 years ago)
Fine. Worth a visit

Mika Rouhiainen (4 years ago)
A neatly maintained cemetery. A stone church and a wooden bell tower.

Mikko Kiero (4 years ago)
It was seen outside when it was closed. Nice church.

Anne Koskela-Laakso (5 years ago)
Beautiful old greystone church.

The Church of St. Henry

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