Church of St. Lawrence, Lohja

The Church of St. Lawrence (Finnish: Lohjan Pyhän Laurin kirkko) is a church in Lohja, Finland. It is the third largest medieval parish church in Finland. The murals from early 16th century make it one of the most valuable medieval buildings in Finland.[1] The rustic and naive murals depicted biblical stories for the illiterate population.[2]

Prior to the Protestant Reformation and the introduction of Lutheranism into Finland, the church served the Roman Catholic Church. The church is dedicated to Lawrence of Rome.[3]

Bell tower.

On the southeast corner of the church is a bell tower. Its grey stone foot is probably from the Middle Ages. The wooden parts of the bell tower were given their present form during the vast reparations after the Great Northern War.[4]

In early 19th century the church windows were made larger and the paintings were covered with white chalk colour. In 1880s the white paint was removed and colourful figures were repaired.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Lohjan kirkko ympäristöineen" (in Finnish). National Board of Antiquities. 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "Pyhän Laurin Kirkko". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "Pyhä Laurentius" (in Finnish). Lohja Parish. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  4. ↑ "Churches". Visit Lohja. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Keskiaikainen Lohjan harmaakivikirkko" (in Finnish). Lohja Parish. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
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Coordinates: 60°15′11″N 24°04′04″E / 60.2531°N 24.0678°E / 60.2531; 24.0678

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