Halikko Church ( fi, Halikon kirkko, sv, Halikko kyrka) is an

Evangelical Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Halikko Halikko () is a list of former municipalities of Finland, former municipality of Finland that existed until December 31, 2008. On January 1, 2009, the municipality was merged with the larger neighboring Salo, Finland, Salo. Before the merge Halikk ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The first parts of the church were built in the 13th century, and Halikko Church is one of the 73 medieval stone churches of Finland.

History

Halikko Church was built in the mid-13th century. Most likely local

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

owners the

Horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

family financed the construction. Therefore, Åminne manor had a right to patronage the priests of Halikko. Halikko Church was first a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church and its protector saint was Saint Bridget. The Church needed to be expanded and mended in the late-18th century. The first expansion was made in 1799, and the second expansion was made between 1813 and 1815. During the second expansion the church was made cross-shaped. The old

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

, weapon room and the grave of Horn-family had to be removed that the new parts could be built. At the same time, the whole church was renewed from the inside. An architect

Charles Bassi Charles (Carlo) Francesco Bassi (12 November 1772, Turin – 11 November 1840, Turku) was a Finnish architect of Italian descent. He was the first professionally trained architect who permanently worked in present-day Finland. He worked, both as an ...

designed the whole operation. During the 20th century, Halikko Church has been mended three time: in 1921, 1954, and 1989–1990. The church has now sewers and

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

. The Belfry of Halikko Church was built in 1773.

Legend

According to legend, Halikko Church was built c.a. 1440. Henrik Olafsson the

Graf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

of Åminne manor financed the construction of the Halikko Church, the Pertteli Church and the Chapel of Salo to pay the sins of his family. His father-in-law had murdered his wife and the seen a vision in which Jesus said that he must pay his sins.

Gallery

File:Halikon kirkko urut - organ.jpg, Organ File:Halikon kirkko saarnastuoli 1.jpg, Pulpit File:Halikon kirkko Kellotapuli.jpg, Bell tower

Sources

* Guide's Book of Halikko Church

External links

Medieval stone churches in Finland Gothic architecture in Finland Buildings and structures in Southwest Finland Lutheran churches in Finland Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism {{Finland-church-stub