Old church of Uusikaupunki
The Evangelical Lutheran Old Church is located in Uusikaupunki in Finland and was completed in 1629. Inside, numerous pieces of equipment from the 17th century have been preserved. Today it is a popular summer church for confirmations, weddings, baptisms and other summer events.
history
When Gustav II Adolf founded Uusikaupunki in 1617, the townspeople wanted their own church. Construction of the church began in 1623 and was finished in 1629. The church then had eight small windows, three doors, a floor made of earth and a roof without a ceiling.
Bit by bit, the citizens added and beautified their church. A low ceiling was put in, the bells were bought and the windows enlarged. Lights became available. Citizens were encouraged to use limestone tiles for their graves so that a level sanctuary could be created.
In the Great Northern War , the citizens and pastors fled from the Russians before 1713. They took all valuable items from the church. Only poor people remained.
After the peace treaty in 1721, the citizens and pastors came back. They started renovating the church. In 1735 a special blanket was put in, which corresponded to the hull of an upturned sailing ship. The stern of this sailboat was above the altar and the keel above the main aisle. Paintings were donated, the pews renovated and the doors to the main corridor unified. The interior of the church was painted and three large chandeliers were bought for the main aisle, which were later added to the new church.
In 1752 the sacristy was built, in which the only stove in the church stood. The bell tower was last built and finished in 1775.
In the past, men sat on the right and women on the left. The men entered the church through the door opposite the soldiers' grave. The women came in through the lower door of the bell tower. Wedding couples used the main portal. The bodies of the deceased to be blessed were also carried into the church through the main portal.
When the new church was completed in 1863, the old church became a museum for 75 years. After the museum objects were brought into the present museum, the old church was renovated.
In 1976 Archbishop Martti Simojoki , who was born in Uusikaupunki, rededicated the church for services. Today it is a popular summer church where confirmations, weddings, baptisms and other summer events take place.
Furnishing
Because the church never burned down, its furniture is relatively old, mostly from the 17th century. A pulpit was bought in 1648 from a carpenter in Turku . But when the Baron von Wasaborg came to the place, a new pulpit was bought because the old one was considered too simple.
The bench under the pulpit was for women who had just given birth. These women were seen as dirty. They were not allowed to take their normal place in the church until they were accepted back as church members. At the back of the church there was a bench of shame that sat on during the service people who had committed minor offenses. Two stretchers were set up in the north corridor on which bodies could be brought for the blessing.
The paintings have biblical themes except the one on the right, which has people around a crucifixion. It is a representation of a foreman at Sundholm Manor and his crew. They all drowned on the way to church during a severe storm in Uusikaupunki. The painting was created in memory of this event in 1652.
The most valuable item in the church is to the right of the altar wall. It is a wooden Pietà sculpture from 1400. The cross and the two figures of St. Erasmus are from the 1500s.
In the course of time, the church was given votive ships for beatification and to thank God. The oldest from the mid-17th century (from 1643 or 1670) is at the western end of the main aisle. The others are from the beginning of the 19th century.
Individual evidence
- without author: From a museum to a summer church - The Old Church of Uusikaupunki. Leaflet, Ed. Uudenkaupungin Seurakunta, no place, no date
Web links
Coordinates: 60 ° 47 ′ 56.8 " N , 21 ° 24 ′ 16.9" E