Kirkkokari ("the Church Islet", also known as Saint Henry's Island) is a small island in

Lake Köyliö A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

in Köyliö municipality, Satakunta,

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 ...

. It is the only

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 ...

pilgrimage site in Finland and one of the few in

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...

.The Yeoman Lalli
Köyliö municipality Official Homepage. Retrieved 21 April 2014. According to tradition, Saint Henry was murdered by

Lalli Lalli is an apocryphal character from Finland, Finnish history. According to the legend, he killed Henry, Bishop of Uppsala, Bishop Henry on the ice of lake Köyliönjärvi in Finland on January 20, 1156. Legend The story begins with an expedi ...

on the ice of Lake Köyliö by the Kirkkokari island in the winter of 1156. Since the 13th century it was a pilgrimage site for Catholics. A small chapel was built on the island which was used until the 18th century. Foundations of the chapel are still visible.Kirkkokari
National Board of Antiquities (in Finnish). Retrieved 21 April 2014. In 1955 the memorial of Christianization of Finland was erected in Kirkkokari and a small altar, "Saint Henry's altar", in 1999. The Finnish Roman Catholic Church organizes an annual pilgrimage to Kirkkokari via the

Saint Henry's Way Saint Henry's Way ( fi, Pyhän Henrikin tie, sv, S:t Henriksleden) is a pilgrim path in the regions of Southwest Finland and Satakunta in Finland. History Saint Henry's Way was born as a result of the canonization of Bishop Henry who was alleg ...

. The 140-kilometre-long journey starts from the city of

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

. It ends on a memorial service in Kirkkokari on the last pre-Midsummer Sunday.

References

Köyliö Lake islands of Finland Catholic Church in Finland Catholic pilgrimage sites Geography of Satakunta Tourist attractions in Satakunta History of Christianity in Finland {{WesternFinland-geo-stub