Lokalahti Church
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lokalahti is located in the homonymous district of Uusikaupunki in Finland .
history
It is believed that Lokalahti the Swedish settlement in the early Middle Ages the church square Vehmaa was. Lokalahti probably had a chapel after the Christianized Swedes settled here around the year 1000. The first sanctuary of Lokalahti was called the Viking Church. The current church will probably stand in the same place as the first shrine.
In 1490, Bishop Maunu Särkilahti consecrated the cemetery and the landlords Gunnar Eilifinpoika and Albrekt Henrikinpoika Görszhagen built a chapel which was consecrated to St. Catherine. It stood on the site of today's church. The shape of this chapel is unknown, but many of the wooden sculptures in the current church are from the old chapel.
In 1639 a new wooden church was built on the square because the old chapel was probably dilapidated. At the same time, Lokalahti became an independent parish for the first time. Independence ended in 1691 when Lokalahti became part of the parish of Vehmaa.
Today's church was built according to plans by Joh. Höckert from Lappi from Rauma . It was built in 1763. The interior was painted by Gabriel Prychteen when the church was completed in 1769.
The most important repairs were carried out in 1857 according to plans by the district architect G.Th.P. Chiewitz and in 1950 by Totti Sora . The last changes to the interior were made in 1990. In spring 2008, the changes to the apse were completed. Some familiar things have been removed, such as the Victory Cross . Some new and old things come back, for example, the cross in peasant style, which had been purchased in 1835 for the church and the altar of the original church from the early 18th century.
The exterior color scheme of the church has often been renewed. The church was painted red twice. In 1904 the church was painted gray and later a green tone. The shingle roof was removed in 1926 and replaced with a tin roof. In the summer of 2006 the exterior of the church was renovated in one of the earlier colors.
Furnishing
pulpit
The pulpit of today's church may have been made from the wood of the old chapel. It was finished around 1639. It was discarded in 1768, but returned to use in 1861. The pulpit sculptures show the Savior, John , Peter and a saint from the Middle Ages who is believed to be St. Catherine .
Altarpiece
According to historical documents, an altarpiece was bought by Uusikaupunki in 1774 for 200 thalers. After the church was renovated in 1860, it was kept in the sacristy . Another painting that can be dated to 1651 shines through under today's altarpiece, which shows the Last Supper . The current picture was attached to a new canvas because the picture had been kept in a damp shed underneath. It returned to its original place in 2008.
Steeple
The wooden steeple is much older than the current church, probably from the 16th century. The Swedish shape of the tower is from the Middle Ages. The following text can be found on the largest bell : "Anno 1691. Honor belongs only to God". The smaller bell is from 1866. Until Pentecost 2008, the bells were rung by hand.
graveyard
The church is surrounded by the cemetery, which was last enlarged in 1833 and 1868. It is surrounded by a wall made of large boulders that was built in 1833. The archway is on the south side across from the bell tower. In 1919 a staircase was built from boulders with access to the western part of the southern wall and to the southwest side. Before 1830 the cemetery was significantly smaller and the fences were made of wood.
Individual evidence
without author: The Church of Lokalahti, leaflet, ed. Uudenkaupungin Seurakunta, no place, no date
Web links
Coordinates: 60 ° 40 ′ 52.7 " N , 21 ° 27 ′ 56.1" E