Shingled roof
Tall and wooden.
Teuvo Salmenjoki — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tiia Monto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tiia Monto — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tiia Monto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Teuvo Salmenjoki — CC BY-SA 4.0
Petäjävesi Old Church is a wooden church in the small town of Petäjävesi in central Finland, built between 1763 and 1765 when the region was still part of Sweden, with a bell tower added in 1821. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1994 as a testimony to the wooden church architecture of the Nordic countries. It stands about 1 km west of the town centre and about 29 km in a straight line from Jyväskylä. It was designed and built by Jaakko Klemetinpoika Leppänen, and his grandson Erkki Leppänen added the bell tower. Built entirely of pine logs, it has kept its original appearance exceptionally well, and its architecture blends Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque influences. Regular use ended in 1879 when a new church was built. From outside the church shows dark brown timber and a tall shingled roof, with the bell tower and its red-and-white band beside it. It sits on the shore of a calm lake where it mirrors among birch trees, and in winter it lies under snow. The church opens to visitors mainly in summer, a popular season for weddings there. Be respectful if you arrive during a ceremony.
Tall and wooden.
Red-and-white band.
The church reflected.
West of Petäjävesi centre, Central Finland
Mainly in summer.
Built 1763 to 1765.