Ruokolahti Church ( fi, Ruokolahden kirkko, sv, Ruokolax kyrka) is the

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

church in the town centre of

Ruokolahti Ruokolahti (; sv, Ruokolax; literally translated the "Reed Bay") is a municipality of Finland, situated in south-eastern Finland, in the region of South Karelia. Neighbouring municipalities are Imatra, Lappeenranta, Taipalsaari, Puumala, Sulkava, ...

, in south-eastern

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 ...

, and the main church of the Ruokolahti parish. The church was designed in 1852 by a leading architect of the mid-19th century in Finland,

Ernst Lohrmann Ernst Bernhard Lohrmann (30 June 1803 — 17 June 1870) was a German-Finnish architect born and educated in Germany but practising mainly in the Grand Duchy of Finland, where he is known especially as a designer of public buildings and more tha ...

, constructed of timber, and completed in 1854. The belfry predates the current church by 100 years, having been built in 1752 for the previous church in the same spot. The church and belfry have been designated and protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency as a nationally important built cultural environment (''Valtakunnallisesti merkittävä rakennettu kulttuuriympäristö''). The current altarpiece is a 1915 painting by

Alexandra Frosterus-Såltin Alexandra Theodora Frosterus-Såltin (6 December 1837, Ingå – 29 February 1916, Vaasa) was a Finnish-Swedish genre painter and illustrator, who is also known for her altarpieces. Biography Her father, Benjamin, was a theology professor and ...

, titled ''Kristus ristillä'' ('Christ on the cross'). It is her 50th and final altarpiece. Ruokolahti Church is featured in a famous 1887 painting by Albert Edelfelt, ''Ruokolahden eukkoja kirkonmäellä'' ( 'Women outside the Church at Ruokolahti'), housed in the

Ateneum Ateneum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland and one of the three museums forming the Finnish National Gallery. It is located in the centre of Helsinki on the south side of Rautatientori square close to Helsinki Central railway station. It ha ...

art museum of the Finnish National Gallery in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in South Karelia Ernst Lohrmann buildings Lutheran churches in Finland 19th-century Lutheran churches Churches completed in 1854 19th-century churches in Finland