Church of St. Olaf: A Medieval Romanesque Church in Finland
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Finland
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Russian, Swedish
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page18 sections
History
The Church of St. Olaf is a medieval stone church in Jomala, Finland, on the main island of Åland. Probably built between 1275 and 1285 in the Romanesque style, it is the oldest church in the autonomous Åland region and is probably the oldest surviving stone building in Finland. It may also be the country’s oldest surviving Christian church. Dedicated to Olaf II of Norway, also known as Saint Olaf, the church belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, within the Diocese of Borgå and Jomala Parish.
Early Christian foundation
Ecclesiastical activity took place at the site from the early thirteenth century. The church stands beside a large Iron Age burial ground, dating from the period when iron became a major material for tools and weapons in northern Europe. Archaeological finds have been interpreted as possible evidence for an earlier wooden church, although no such building has been identified.
The stone church was probably constructed between 1275 and 1285. Its original medieval core consisted of a west tower, a nave, and a choir aligned from west to east. Tree-ring dating, known as dendrochronology, and architectural analysis support this chronology. The church is regarded as the only church in Finland that can be clearly classified as originally Romanesque, a medieval style characterized by heavy masonry, simple geometric forms, and typically round-headed openings.
Medieval alterations
The building was enlarged and modified over the following centuries. A portal and a sacristy, probably accompanied by a porch or weapons house, were added during the fifteenth century. The tower was probably raised in the sixteenth century. In 1749, a storm destroyed the earlier spire, after which the tower acquired its present form.
Nineteenth-century rebuilding
Major alterations between the 1820s and 1840s transformed the church. The medieval choir and other eastern and side structures were demolished or superseded by a broad eastern transept with northern and southern arms. The old sacristy was demolished in 1852, and a new one had been completed by 1899. In 1884, the nave roof was lowered to meet the new transept. The medieval vaults and much of their artwork were lost during these changes.
Drawings from 1808, measured drawings made in 1871, and written records have allowed the medieval appearance of the building to be reconstructed with relative confidence. The church is a protected historic church building, and its medieval fabric and archaeological remains have been examined through restoration and investigation.
Excavation and restoration
Archaeological investigations beneath and around the church began in 1949. More extensive excavations were carried out during the 1961 restoration. They showed that most of the original medieval foundation remained intact and supplied evidence for reconstructing the early building. The work also brought to light medieval glass fragments, coins, and sculptural elements that contribute to the interpretation of the church’s first phases.
Remains
The present church has an unusual T-shaped plan. A short, broad medieval nave is joined to a broad eastern transept, while the west tower remains clearly distinguishable from the elements added or rebuilt in the nineteenth century. The building is constructed mainly from locally quarried red Rapakivi granite, a coarse-grained granite associated especially with Finland, with limestone used for particular elements. Its roof is covered with wooden shingles.
Medieval structure
West tower
The west tower rises 52 metres and connects with the church interior through a pointed-arch opening at ground level. A later west entrance serves the present building. The tower, nave, and choir were all broader than they were long in the original medieval arrangement, giving the church proportions that differed notably from those of other churches in Åland and Finland. The tower’s current form dates from the rebuilding after the storm of 1749.
Nave and eastern transept
The medieval nave survives as the principal central body of the church. The broad eastern transept with northern and southern arms belongs to the nineteenth-century transformation. A sacristy at the eastern end of the nave has its own entrance. The lowered nave roof meets the transept, reflecting the alterations made in 1884.
Paintings, glass, and stone sculpture
Wall paintings
Early Gothic wall paintings, using yellow, blue, green, and red, were added in the 1280s. The western gable contains a depiction of the Last Judgment. Between the tower and nave, a well-preserved sequence presents four scenes from the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The paintings were probably covered or painted over in the seventeenth century and were uncovered again during the 1930s.
Glass and limestone sculpture
Excavations recovered large quantities of fragments of medieval painted or stained glass from the period of the church’s original construction. They are regarded as the oldest known stained-glass remains in Finland. A late-thirteenth-century limestone element between the tower and nave depicts a human face and remains in place.
Another limestone sculpture, known as the Jomala lion, has been described as a lion holding a human head in its jaws. Its meaning and function remain uncertain, and the sculpture is held at the Åland Museum. Eighteen coins from the same period were also excavated at the site and are likewise held by the museum.
Medieval furnishings
Crucifix and sculptures
A Gotland crucifix dates from the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century. Its arms are movable, apparently allowing it to be used in liturgical drama, religious performance connected with Christian worship and biblical storytelling. Bloodstains were added to the crucifix in the fourteenth century.
An oak sculpture from around 1300 was originally an image of the Virgin Mary and was later altered into a representation of Saint Anne. Other medieval wooden sculptures include a Westphalian image of the Virgin Mary from about 1320–1350 and a Saint Anne made in Lübeck around 1400.
Font and altarpiece cabinet
The furnishings include a fragment of a Baltic altarpiece cabinet from the fifteenth century and a Gotland limestone baptismal font from the thirteenth century. The font was originally painted in many colors, although those colors are no longer recognizable.
Later furnishings
Altarpiece and ship model
An altarpiece painted by Alexandra Sält in 1900 depicts Jesus calming a storm. A model of a sailing ship hangs in the middle of the church. Donated by sailors from Karlskrona, it dates from the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century.
Organ and stained-glass window
The notably asymmetrical organ was built during the 1870s by the Danish organ builder Jens Zachariassen. It originally stood on a western raised gallery that has since been demolished. The porch contains a modern stained-glass window depicting Saint Olaf, donated in 1968 by the American artist Ture Bengtz, whose ancestors came from Jomala.
