Church of St. Catherine (Turku)
The Church of St. Catherine ( Finnish: Pyhän Katariinan kirkko ), formerly known as the Church of Kaarina (Kaarinan kirkko) , is a medieval stone church in the southwestern Finnish city of Turku . The church, built in the middle of the 15th century, is dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria . Originally it was the church of the neighboring town Kaarina , but now belongs to the urban area of Turku. The church is located on the banks of the Aurajoki River in the Nummi district and is the parish church of the Katharinengemeinde (Katariinanseurakunta) , one of twelve Evangelical Lutheran parishes in the Turku-Kaarina parish, which includes the eastern parts of Turku.
history
A first wooden predecessor building was probably founded shortly after the Kaarina parish was founded at the beginning of the 13th century on the site of today's church in the village of Nummi. The current stone church was probably built between 1440 and 1460 (the armory possibly a few decades later). It was probably designed by the same builder from Mecklenburg who built Pargas Church . The original plans, which provided for a two-aisled building with a church tower, were changed during the construction phase. 1697–1699 a vestibule was added to the west end of the church.
When parts of Kaarina were incorporated into the city of Turku in 1939, the Church also came to Turku. But it remained the parish church of the Kaarina parish, which continued to encompass the eastern parts of Turku. It was not until 1991 that the parishes were separated into the Katharinengemeinde and the parish Kaarina according to the administrative border. On this occasion the Kaarina parish received a new church and the church previously known as the Kaarina Church was renamed St. Katharinen Church.
Building description
The St. Catherine's Church has been very well preserved in its medieval form. The three-aisled nave of St. Catherine's Church is relatively small at 26.1 × 14.7 meters. In the north there is a sacristy , in the south an armory and in the west a vestibule. St. Catherine's Church does not have a church tower .
The interior of the church is decorated with secco paintings by two different artists. The paintings were whitewashed at the end of the 18th century, but exposed again at the beginning of the 20th century. The church inventory includes ten medieval wooden sculptures. The oldest of these dates from the early 14th century and probably represents the patron saint Catherine of Alexandria. The other sculptures were created in Finland at the beginning of the 16th century.
See also
literature
- Markus Hiekkanen: Suomen keskiajan kivikirkot (= Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran toimituksia 1117). Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, Helsinki 2007, ISBN 978-951-746-861-9 , pp. 142-147.
Web links
Coordinates: 60 ° 27 ′ 44 ″ N , 22 ° 17 ′ 37 ″ E