Själö or Nagu Själö (in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

) or Seili (in Finnish) is a small island (about from north to south), off the main islands of Nagu, in the

Archipelago Sea The Archipelago Sea ( fi, Saaristomeri, sv, Skärgårdshavet) is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters. By some definitions it contains the largest ar ...

, off the south west coast of Finland. Själö is part of the municipality of Pargas. The island is known for its church and nature, a research institute and a former hospital. There is another Själö in Väståboland, on the border between the former municipalities of Houtskär and Iniö. Asteroid 2292 Seili has been named after the island.

History

The Finnish name of the island, ''Seili'', is a corruption of the Swedish ''Själö'' ('seal island' in English, ''själ'' being the old form of ''säl'', or seal). The name indicates that the island has been a retreat for

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

and an attraction for seal hunters in early times. Actually Själö, then and at least until the 18th century, comprised two islands separated by a shallow strait, which has disappeared because of the land rising from the sea, an after-effect of glacial compression during the last ice age. The first

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

on Själö was established in the 1620s. Before that there were two farms on the islands belonging to the Crown and thus available when the authorities looked for a suitable island to which the leper hospital at the outskirts of Turku could be moved. According to a Royal Decree in 1619 by King

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, the buildings of the hospital in Turku, with the exception of the chapel, were burned down and the inmates transported to Själö. The Själö hospital for lepers was dedicated to

St George Saint George (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin language, Latin: Georgius, Arabic language, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christians, Christian who is venerated as a sa ...

. The last leper patient died in 1785, and the establishment on Själö became a hospital or a place of confinement for mentally afflicted people until 1962. The hospital was self-sufficient with agriculture, and fishing. The present-day buildings on the island, with the exception of the chapel (built 1733) and the rectory (built 1791), date from the 19th and the 20th centuries, and most of them have been built for the mental hospital. (''source: E-M Vilho''). Currently the island hosts the Archipelago Research Institute that is a part of the University of Turku. The research is focused on the surrounding Archipelago Sea as well as the whole Baltic Sea.

Harbours

There is one small

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

, on the east side for the visitors () and on the west side for the ferry ().

Själö in popular culture

'' Seili'', a Finnish-language pop album by Jenni Vartiainen, is named after the island's Finnish name. Johanna Holmström's 2017 novel ''Själarnas ö'' (''Island of Souls'') is set on the island.

References

External links

History of the islandArchipelago Research Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sjalo Finnish islands in the Baltic Pargas Landforms of Southwest Finland