Religion:Block-pillar church
The block-pillar church (Finnish: tukipilarikirkko; Swedish: blockpelarkyrka) was a common type of wooden church in Ostrobothnia in the 17th century. Individual specimens are also found elsewhere in Finland and in northern Sweden.
Construction
The basic form of a block pillar church is a nave church, where the walls are made of horizontal logs and the joints between the logs are placed inside a timber pillar. The pillars are square timbered cavities as high as the walls with interlocking joints and are visible from both outside and inside the church. The pillars support a long timber wall so it doesn't start to buckle due to pressure from the roof. Inside the church, the walls are supported by tie beams between the parallel walls.[1] Most commonly two pairs of block pillars were used, but the largest block-pillar church is Tornio Church (fi), which has three pairs of pillars. In the west gable, the churches often have a timbered tower with a high spire. Most often the tower had no church bells, and a bell tower was built separately. Block-pillar churches appear to have been an Ostrobothnian specialty.[2]
Preserved churches
Around a hundred block-pillar churches were built, twelve of which have been preserved. The oldest preserved is Vörå Church (fi) from 1627, which was expanded into a cruciform church in 1777.[2]
| Place | Church | Built | Notes | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alastaro, Loimaa, Finland | Alastaro Church (fi) | 1754 | moved from Loimaa in 1841 | 
|
| Jukkasjärvi, Kiruna, Sweden | Jukkasjärvi Church (fi) | 1726 | 
| |
| Kempele, Finland | Kempele Old Church (fi) | 1688–1691 | 
| |
| Kristinestad, Finland | Ulrika Eleonora Church, Kristinestad (fi) | 1700 | 
| |
| Muhos, Finland | Muhos Church (fi) | 1634 | Muhos Church | |
| Sodankylä, Finland | Sodankylä Old Church | 1689 | Sodankylä Old Church | |
| Temmes, Tyrnävä, Finland | Temmes Church (fi) | 1767 | Temmes Church | |
| Tervola, Finland | Tervola Old Church (fi) | 1687–89 | Tervola Old Church | |
| Tornio, Finland | Tornio Church (fi) | 1684–86 | Tornio Church | |
| Ullava, Kokkola, Finland | Ullava Church (fi) | 1783 | Ullava Church | |
| Utajärvi, Finland | Utajärvi Church (fi) | 1762 | Utajärvi Church | |
| Vörå, Finland | Vörå Church (fi) | 1626–27 | expanded to cruciform church in 1777 | Vörå Church |
References
- ↑ Pettersson, Lars (1985). "IV Kring stenkyrkorna och stensakristian i Vörå samt blockpelarkyrkornas framträdande i Österbotten". Svenska Österbottens historia 5. Svenska Österbottens landskapsförbund. pp. 59–63, 67. ISBN 9519961186. http://www.nykarlebyvyer.nu/sidor/texter/prosa/pettersl/svohist5/blockpel.htm. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Knapas, Marja Terttu (2018). "Blockpelarkyrkan en finländsk specialitet". http://www.kulttuuriymparistomme.fi/sv-FI/Aktuellt/Artiklar/Platser_for_tro_och_forestallningar/Blockpelarkyrkan_ar_en_finlandsk_special(38198).
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