Ekenäs Church ( Swedish: ''Ekenäs kyrka'', Finnish: ''Tammisaaren kirkko'') is a 17th-century neoclassical stone church located in Ekenäs in the Finnish town of

Raseborg Raseborg (; , ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Raseborg is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Raseborg is approximately , while the Raseborg sub-region, sub-region has a popul ...

. Construction began in 1651 and continued into the 1670s. The initiative to build a stone church in Ekenäs came from earl Gustaf Adolf

Leijonhufvud Leijonhufvud (Germanized as Lewenhaupt, literally "Lionhead") is the name of a Swedish noble family, from which some of the family members were granted baronial title. The baronial branch was 1568 granted the status of counts, and changed their fa ...

but the designer of the original

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church is unknown. Ekenäs Church was ravaged by fire in 1821 and renovated by 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 a ...

between 1839 and 1842. The appearance of the church we see nowadays is designed by Bassi. There are seats for 560 people in Ekenäs Church. Ekenäs Church is used by the Swedish-speaking parish of Ekenäs (''Ekenäsnejdens svenska församling'') which is part of

Diocese of Borgå The Diocese of Borgå (, ) is a diocese for the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland. It is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Porvoo (''Borgå'' in Swedish) is also the old seat of the present-day (Finnish-speaking) Dioces ...

in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

History

In 1546, king

Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

grants Ekenäs the right to become a town. In 1589, earl Axel Leijonhufvud starts constructing a small wooden church in Ekenäs. In 1600, Axel Leijonhufvud's younger brother Moritz Leijonhufvud completes the construction of the wooden church. Interest in a stone church increases during the 17th century. In 1651, the construction of a stone church starts by the initiative of earl Gustaf Adolf Leijonhufvud. This same year, he dies due to wounds sustained in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. A memorial plate depicting earl Leijonhufvud and his wife Christina Catharina la Gardie can still be seen on the outer wall of the church. In 1680, earl Leijonhufvud's son Gustav Mauritz Leijonhufvud completes the construction of Ekenäs stone church according to his father's will. The new church is built of granite, long and wide with walls thick and a bell tower. In 1690, the old wooden church is demolished. On 14 June 1821 at about 4 am, Ekenäs church catches fire which even reaches the wooden roof of the church. Only the altar piece and some items were saved from the fire. The church was rebuilt after the fire according to Charles Bassi's plans in neoclassical style. The rebuilding was completed by Anders Fredrik Granstedt. The new roof of Ekenäs church was lower than the original, interior pillars were removed and new larger windows were opened. In 1842, rebuilding of Ekenäs church is completed. The old baroque church represents now neoclassicism. In 1957-1959, The stained glass windows by Karin Mazeitti-Slotte are moved to the northern side of the church. The windows were painted in 1924. In 1987-1990, the church is restored and renovated. One of the stained glass windows is moved to the southern choir, the altar wall is masoned again and marmored. The tower of Ekenäs church is now above sea level and above ground level. File:Ekenäs kyrka interiör.JPG, The pulpit File:Tammisaaren kirkko 2017 00 Kirkkosali. Church hall.jpg, The central aisle File:Tammisaaren kirkko 2017 07. Kreivillinen vaakuna.jpg, Coat of Arms on the church wall File:Tammisaaren kirkko 2017 08 lasimaalaus 1.jpg, Stained glass window File:Tammisaaren kirkko 2017 06.jpg, The altar piece

Inventory

One of the oldest objects of the church is a Bible which belonged to vicar Sigfridus Aronus Forsius. He was the vicar of Ekenäs in 1621-1624. The Bible was rescued from fire and is now located in Ekenäs Museum. Another pieces of 17th century inventory include vessels for the

Holy Communion The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

dating to 1613 and the altar piece which was made in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

around 1660. The paintings of the altar piece are younger though. They were commissioned in Stockholm in 1797 and painted by professor

Lorens Pasch the younger Lorens or Lorenz Pasch the Younger (1733–1805) was a Swedish painter. Life He grew up in an artistic family (he was the brother of Ulrika Pasch, alongside whom he was elected to the Art Academy in 1773), but his father Lorens Pasch the Elder w ...

. The paintings represent the

Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

of God and the sorrow of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

. The pulpit in Ekenäs Church is designed by A. F. Granstedt. On the wall of the church is a memorial plate for the vicar Forsius. The organ inside Ekenäs Church was built by Anders Thulé and donated to the church in 1842 by knight Berndt Erik Inberg. Since then it has been renovated a number of times. The latest restoration was completed in 1992.

References

{{coord, 59.97383, 23.43366, format=dms, type:landmark_region:FI, display=title Raseborg Neoclassical church buildings in Finland Lutheran churches in Finland 17th-century Lutheran churches