St. Laurentius (Eckerö)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Laurentius in Eckerö , a parish in the autonomous province of Åland in Finland , has its origins in the 13th century. Inside we find a number of medieval items.
history
Eckerö church, dedicated to St. Lawrence , was probably built in the 13th century. Eckerö was mentioned in 1325 as a chapel of the parish of Hammarland , in 1431 even as an independent parish, but then fell back under the jurisdiction of the church of Hammarland. But in 1877 Eckerö finally became an independent parish with its own pastor. The church is made of red Åland granite and was probably a place of worship for seafarers.
The oldest part of the church is the nave . The church tower was built over the western entrance and is supported on the western gable. The armory with its niches inside and outside also dates from the Middle Ages. The sacristy was enlarged in 1837 and the windows later to bring more light into the church. There was also a stained glass window behind the altar.
The larger gallery was built in 1787 with a partition between men and women. The smaller gallery was built in 1860 for the first organ of the church, which is there again today. This organ was located elsewhere between 1927 and 1983, but a donation made it possible to renovate the organ and put it in its old location. Originally the ceiling was made of wood and 60 cm higher. But during an extensive repair, it was painted lower and blue to make the interior warmer.
The church was renovated in 1950/51. It was then that the murals were found. The last renovation was in 1988, the interior got a new coat of paint, the altar was cleaned and the murals restored.
Furnishing
On the north side - where the pulpit is - hangs a triumphal cross from the 14th century. It was stored in the attic for a long time and was reassembled by the restorer Oskari Niemi .
The votive ship is a reminder of the seafaring generations from Eckerö.
The Madonna and Child comes from Gotland in the 14th century . Only a light blue color in the eyes of the baby Jesus remains from the original painting. The hairstyle was adapted to the time in the 16th century.
The pulpit was created in 1840 and gilded three years later. Both the pulpit and the altar were designed by Carl Ludwig Engel , the well-known Finnish architect.
Next to the door to the gallery there is a sculpture of St. Sebastian , the patron saint of hunters.
The large altarpiece was painted in 1876 by the artist Bernhard Reinhold . The painting had been exhibited in Paris and bought in Stockholm. It was then transported from Grisslehamn in Sweden to Eckerö by mail boat.
The wooden baptismal font from 1260 is in the shell style .
The statue in the south window niche shows St. Erasmus of Antioch
A copy of the church's first altarpiece hangs under the gallery. It shows the Last Supper * and was a work by Lieutenant VR Brummer from Storby from 1821. The original was hung on the gallery in 1876 and destroyed by fire in 1930. The copy was made by Berit Hartvik from Eckerö, Storby.
The new Allen organ from 1990 was placed in the prospectus of the old organ from 1927. The latter was expanded in 1974 and is now on the gallery. From 1974 to 1990 an organ was used by Hans Heinrich . This was given to the Church of Hapsal in Estonia in 1990 .
Individual evidence
- Eckerö Kyrka Åland S: t Lars, Leaflet Church Guide, Ed. Eckerö Församling, Eckerö o. Date
Web links
Coordinates: 60 ° 12 ′ 26.9 ″ N , 19 ° 36 ′ 41.9 ″ E