Sunday, May 6, 2018

Petäjävesi Old Church - Finland

 I've never thought about it, but maybe I should include Petäjävesi on my Finnish itinerary. I would love to finally see a wooden church.
The Old Wooden Church of Petäjävesi is a Lutheran church located in Petäjävesi, 31 kilometers west of Jyväskylä. It was inscribed in 1994 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The first card was sent by Merja and the other two are officials.

Built for a small Lutheran parish in central Finland, Petäjävesi Old Church is located on a peninsula at Lake Solikkojärvi and is surrounded by an agricultural landscape with lakes and forests, typical of the region.
Construction of this wooden church was led by a local master builder, Jaakko Leppänen. The bell tower was added to the western part of the church in 1821 by the master’s grandson, Erkki Leppänen.

FI-1385769, sent by Sabrina.
Petäjävesi Old Church is representative of the architectural tradition of wooden churches in northern Europe. The Old Church is a unique example of traditional log construction techniques applied by the local peasant population in northern coniferous forest areas. European architectural trends, which have influenced the external form and layout of the church, have been masterfully applied to traditional log construction.

FI-1835451, sent by Eija and signed by 8 other postcrossers.
In 1879, a new church was built on the other side of the strait and the Old Church went out of use. Repairs, restoration and conservation works started in the 1920s when the historical and architectural value of the Old Church was recognized. Today, the churchyard is still in use, while the church is used only in the summer. - inhttps://whc.unesco.org/en/list/584

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