Alatornio Church
The Church of Alatornio is a classical stone church in the Finnish town of Tornio . It is located in the Kirkonmäki district of the Pirkkiö district a little away from the center and was originally the parish church of the Alatornio community . The church of Alatornio was built in its current form in the years 1794–1797, but it goes back to a medieval stone church from around 1500, the remains of which are built into the east nave.
history
A church in Tornio is mentioned as early as 1316, so it can be assumed that the first church was built on the site of the church in Alatornio at the beginning of the 14th century. The sphere of influence of the church initially included the entire lower reaches of the Tornionjoki , before it was divided into the parishes of Alatornio ("Lower Tornio") and Ylitornio ("Upper Tornio") in 1606 .
Nothing remains of the first, still wooden church. The current church of Alatornio goes back to a later stone church , which was also built before the Reformation . The time when the medieval church was built cannot be precisely determined. Based on architectural features, it can be assigned to a group of stone churches that were built between 1480 and 1550. Historical sources suggest that the Russians burned down a wooden church during a campaign to Tornio in the spring of 1496. After the wooden church was destroyed, a stone church was built, which was again plundered by the Russians in 1513. If the interpretation is correct, the church of Alatornio should have been built in the first years of the 16th century. In addition to the Old Church of Keminmaa , the Church of Alatornio was the northernmost of Finland's medieval stone churches.
In the years 1794–1797 the church of Alatornio was completely redesigned under the aegis of the builder Jacob Rijf . Instead of the medieval church, a classicist cruciform church was built, with the old nave being built as its eastern cross arm.
In 1842 the steeple of the church of Alatornio was used by the German astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve as a measuring point for his geodetic measurements. As part of the Struve Arch , the Church of Alatornio has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2005 .
Until the end of 2006, the church of Alatornio was the parish church of the Evangelical Lutheran parish of Alatornio, which initially remained independent even after the political community of Alatornio was incorporated into the city of Tornio in 1973. After the parishes of Tornio, Alatornio and Karunki were merged, the church of Alatornio is one of three churches in the parish of Tornio.
Building description
Alatornio Church represents Gustavian classicism, which was prevalent in the late 18th century in the Swedish Empire, to which present-day Finland was then part. The church has a plan in the form of a Greek cross with equal arms . The church tower rises above the crossing . Similar to the Skellefteå Church, also designed by Jacob Rijf, the Alatornio Church is based on the model of the Adolf Friedrich Church in Stockholm.
Most of the interior of the church was also planned by Jacob Rijf. He designed the pulpit and the altar of the church. It is noticeable that although the pulpit stands in the northeast corner of the crossing as usual, the altar is not, as was usual, at the end of the eastern cross arm, but in the southeast corner of the crossing.
Individual evidence
- ^ Markus Hiekkanen: The Stone Churches of the Medieval Diocese of Turku. A systematic Classification and Chronology (= Suomen Muinaismuistoyhdistyksen aikakauskirja 101). Suomen Muinaismuistoyhdistys, Helsinki 1994, ISBN 951-9057-11-0 , p. 238.
literature
- Reino Mähönen: Alatornion kirkko = Nedertorneå kyrka = The Church of Alatornio = Alatornio church. Alatornion seurakunta, Alatornio 1966.
Web links
Coordinates: 65 ° 49 ′ 48 ″ N , 24 ° 9 ′ 26 ″ E