The parish was founded in 1595, and a church stood on the site even earlier. The present church was designed by state architect Charles Bass, built under Matti Salonen and completed in 1822. According to its website it seats about 1,700 people, making it the second largest wooden church in Finland after Kerimäki. It is a log structure with lamella construction, which the website describes as the largest of its kind in Finland. The altarpiece, depicting the Ascension of Jesus, was painted and donated in 1831 by local-born Berndt Godenhjelm. The organ was built in 2008 by Urkurakentamo Veikko Virtanen Oy in the early Nordic Romantic style, with 38 stops and two manuals.
The church works as a road church, open to visitors in summer with a guide present. Regular Sunday services, memorial evenings and parish events are held here. An induction loop helps those with hearing aids. The car park, entrance and toilet are wheelchair accessible.
Have you visited the church for a service or a look around? Share your impressions below for other visitors.
