Ruokolahti Church

Ruokolahti Church
Ruokolahden kirkko
Ruokolahti Church in 2012
61°17′04″N 28°49′47″E / 61.28444°N 28.82986°E / 61.28444; 28.82986
LocationRuokolahti
CountryFinland
DenominationLutheran
Websiteruokolahdenseurakunta.fi
History
StatusParish church
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationProtected
Architect(s)Ernst Lohrmann
StyleNeogothic (partly)[1]
Completed1854
Specifications
Capacityc. 1,200[1]
Number of spires1
MaterialsTimber
Administration
ParishRuokolahti parish (Ruokolahden seurakunta)

Ruokolahti Church (Finnish: Ruokolahden kirkko, Swedish: Ruokolax kyrka) is the Lutheran church in the town centre of Ruokolahti, in south-eastern Finland, and the main church of the Ruokolahti parish.

The church was designed in 1852 by a leading architect of the mid-19th century in Finland, Ernst Lohrmann, constructed of timber, and completed in 1854.[1][2] The belfry predates the current church by 100 years, having been built in 1752 for the previous church in the same spot.[1] The church and belfry have been designated and protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency as a nationally important built cultural environment (Valtakunnallisesti merkittävä rakennettu kulttuuriympäristö).[2]

The current altarpiece is a 1915 painting by Alexandra Frosterus-Såltin, titled Kristus ristillä ('Christ on the cross'). It is her 50th and final altarpiece.[1]

Ruokolahti Church is featured in a famous 1887 painting by Albert Edelfelt, Ruokolahden eukkoja kirkonmäellä (lit. 'Women outside the Church at Ruokolahti'), housed in the Ateneum art museum of the Finnish National Gallery in Helsinki.[3]

Finnish veteran Simo Häyhä, known better by his epithet "The White Death," is buried in the graveyard.

  • Ruokolahti church interior
    Interior
  • Ruokolahti church bell tower
    Belfry
  • Painting by Albert Edelfelt, 'Women outside the Church at Ruokolahti'
    'Women outside the Church at Ruokolahti' (1887), Albert Edelfelt

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Church Hill". Ruokolahti.fi. Ruokolahti Municipality. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Kohdetiedot - Ruokolahden kirkko ja kellotapuli". RKY.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Heritage Agency. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Women Outside the Church at Ruokolahti". Kansallisgalleria.fi. Finnish National Gallery. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
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