Kerimäki Church

The church of Kerimäki is a church building of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in Kerimäki in Savonlinna in eastern Finland. It was built in 1844-1847 and is the largest wooden church in the world: The church of Kerimäki has 3,400 seats and holds 5,000 people.

The church of Kerimäki was completed after three years of construction on 25 September 1847, and on June 11, 1848 (Pentecost) inaugurated. The neoclassical dome inside church has divided the floor plan of a Greek cross and is by galleries on two floors. The free-standing bell stack rests on a base of solid masonry. The dimensions of the church ( inside dimensions: 45 m long x 42 m wide x 27 m) were according to the legend of a misunderstanding: A emigrated to America and Come to wealth Finn wanted his former home town of founding a church. The plans for it were designed by the architect AF Granstedt in feet, of the European builder however, it was usual to expect in meters and build. But this contradicts the original plans, which have been preserved. For the actual planned size is the fact that the minister Fredrik Neovius in the 1840s was of the opinion, even on market days, the community should together can visit a church service. Aleksandra Saltin made ​​1890 the altarpiece. The organ produced by the organ factory in Kangasala with twenty registers was taken in 1894 in use.

The church is not heated, so it is only used in the summer for worship. In addition to the great church, a smaller heated church was built in 1953, in which the services are held in the winter. Nevertheless, the community gathers for Christmas in the great church, which is then heated only by hundreds of candles and the visitors. The church is used in the summer for events during the Opera Festival in Savonlinna. It is visited annually by over 50,000 tourists. Because of its size, the church is in the love God Bueller Arto Paasilinna the new seat of the sky and thus determined by 5,000 angels, instead of ancient mountain castle in Bulgaria.

Organ

Interior view of winter church