St. Birgitta (Lemland)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Birgitta in Lemland , a parish in the autonomous Finnish province of Åland , is a typical seafarers' chapel . It is believed that it was first named after St. Nicholas , the patron saint of seafarers. It was dedicated to St. Birgitta in the 15th century .
history
The oldest part of the church, the nave , was built at the end of the 13th century. Like other churches in the Åland Islands , this church was built from easy-to-work red Åland granite . Archaeological excavations have uncovered the remains of a much older church with a wooden previous building. The age of this wooden church is uncertain, but it was likely built in the early 13th century. The tower was built around 1317. The sacristy dates from the first half of the 14th century and the vestibule, the first in the region, was built in 1318. The current chancel was the last part of the church building; it was completed in 1697, as can be seen from the weather vane on the eastern tower on the roof ridge. The chancel was originally built as a burial chapel for Admiral John Bergenstjerna and his wife Kristina Persdotter from Haddnäs Manor. The burial chapel was converted into the main altar of the church in 1775.
Furnishing
Murals
Originally the sanctuary had richly colored wall paintings in three horizontal bands, separated by ornamental friezes . Two of them are still in good condition. They were dated to 1300 and are the oldest on the Åland Islands. The paintings in the middle of the north wall depict the legend of St. Nicholas.
The oldest paintings are the consecration crosses from around 1280. Five of them are still preserved. The apostles John and Andrew are shown oversized.
Altarpiece
The altarpiece on the north wall dates from the middle of the 15th century. There was originally a crowning painting above the altarpiece, which now hangs in the tower hall. The altarpiece depicts the resurrection of Christ. It was painted by the court painter Robert Wilhelm Ekman and signed by him in 1876.
pulpit
The pulpit is from 1882, the hourglass from the middle of the 19th century
Sculptures
There are several wooden sculptures from the 14th century: the triumphal cross in the second arch, the altar cross, the enthroned Madonna on the northeast wall (one of the best wooden sculptures in Finland) and Saint Nicholas in the west window. St. Birgitta from the 15th century can be found in the south window.
Votive ships
The votive nave in the front part of the nave is from the 17th century, the one in the back from 1844.
organ
The first organ in the church was built in 1866 by the Swedish organ builder Frans Anderson . This organ served the community for over a hundred years and was then sold to the Sottunga community where it is still played.
In 1960 the church received a second organ, built by Veikko Virtanen. After problems with this organ, it was replaced by a digital organ from Johannus , which is now in Lumparland church .
The installation of today's organ was completed in January 2009. It was built in the French romantic style by the German organ builder HO Paschen and tuned by H. Gripentrogs and K. Mäkinen.
Archaeological finds
The following archaeological finds were made in the anteroom: a tombstone from the first half of the 12th century, broken glass from the original altar window and pieces from two baptismal fonts.
literature
Saint Brigitta, Church in Lemland, Leaflet Church Guide, Ed. Lemland-Lumparland Parish, undated
Web links
- Information on the parish website (Swedish)
- detailed information on architecture and furnishings (Swedish)
- http://www.kolumbus.fi/helmuth.gripentrog/organbuilding/Sweden.html
Coordinates: 60 ° 4 ′ 33 " N , 20 ° 5 ′ 1.4" E