Siuntio St. Peter's Church (

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...

. ''Siuntion Pyhän Pietarin kirkko'', swe. ''Sjundeå S:t Petri kyrka'') is a gothic

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

stone church in

Siuntio, Uusimaa Siuntio (; ) is a Municipalities of Finland, municipality in the Uusimaa (region), Uusimaa Regions of Finland, region of Southern Finland. Its neighboring municipalities are Ingå to the west, Kirkkonummi to the east, Lohja to the north-west, and ...

, Finland, located in the old church village of Siuntio. The church is built out of grey stone between the years 1460 and 1480 next to a small stone

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

which was owned by a nearby Suitia Manor. St. Peter's Church is divided into three

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

s by three pairs of pilars that hold the brick vaults. The church is owned by the Parish Union of Siuntio and shared by the Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking

Evangelical-Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

parishes of Siuntio. The church is part of both the Diocese of Espoo and the

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 ...

since the Finnish-speaking parish is part of the Espoo Diocese and the Swedish-speaking parish is part of the Borgå Diocese. The church has been ravaged by fire four times.

History

Catholic period

St. Peter's Church was built next to Suitia Manor's stone chapel between 1460s and 1480s. The old chapel from the 14th century was transformed into

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, 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 us ...

. Originally the church was

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. In the beginning of the 16th century the wooden ceiling inside the church was replaced with large brick vaults. Archeologist have found traces of a medieval altar and two side altars. During catholic period paintings describing biblical legends were painted on the walls and vaults of the church. In 1526 St. Peter's Church was hit by a lightning which caused a large fire in the church.

Reformation

During

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

the medieval paintings on the walls and vaults were not overpainted. Not many objects were either confiscated to the Swedish Crown and no sculptures picturing saints were destroyed. The church caught fire again in 1617.

The Great Northern War

Siuntio St. Peter's Church was badly damaged during

the Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I ...

. The church was robbed and the bell tower was destroyed. Even the church bells were taken. The vicar and the chaplain fled to Sweden and only the chaplain's assistant stayed in Siuntio. It was only during the 1730s when the reparation of the church was able to be carried out.

Age of Enlightenment

The church was burning once again in 1823. After the fire St. Peter's church was heavily modified following the eras architectural ideals in the

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed from 1809 to 1917 as an Autonomous region, autonomous state within the Russian Empire. Originating in the 16th century as a titular grand duchy held by the Monarc ...

; the windows were enlarged and the pilars holding the medieval vaults were rounded. The oldest part of the church, the former Suitia Manor's chapel, was torn down together with the

church porch A church porch is a room-like structure at a church's main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent. Some porches have an outer door, others a simple gate, and in some cases the outer opening is not closed in any way. The porch ...

. Also the medieval paintings were painted over with white oil paint.

The 21st Century

In December 2023 a new climate-friendly heating system was installed, replacing the old system which used oil as an energy source. The project was partly financed by the Church Council of Finland through the Church Central Fund for Climate Neutral Energy Systems. In July 2024 the Parish Union of Siuntio announced that the roof of the church is going to be renovated during the same year. The renovation, which was estimated to cost around 600 000 euros, was completed in December 2024. 52 % of the total cost is covered by the Finnish Church Council. Siuntio church

Church paintings

The paintings on the vaults and walls of the St. Peter's Church were painted in two phases during the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century. The paintings told the biblical stories for the illiterate part of the population. The oldest paintings are the

consecration crosses Consecration crosses are crosses on the interior walls and exterior architecture of a Christian church or cathedral showing where the bishop has anointed the church with chrism or holy water in order to consecrate it. There is often a place for a ...

from the end of the 15th century. There are altogether six consecration crosses remaining in the church. The later paintings are paintings of the biblical legends and saints and these paintings were painted during the beginning of the 16th century. The paintings were never over painted during the

but later during the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a Europe, European Intellect, intellectual and Philosophy, philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained th ...

. In 1938 the parish decided to restore the old paintings but sadly they were badly damaged especially on the walls.

Rare paintings in the church

There is one rare motif among the paintings of St. Peter's Church. A man with all

seven deadly sins The seven deadly sins (also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins) function as a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. In the standard list, the seven deadly sins according to the Catholic Church are pride, greed ...

coming out if his mouth in forms of snakes is depicted on one of the vaults.

Interior

Pulpits

There are two

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

s from the 17th century in St. Peter's Church. The older one is so called Pulpit of Tott from the year 1625. There are only a few parts remaining of this pulpit and these parts are on display in the church. The Pulpit of Tott was donated to the church by lord of the Sjundby Manor,

Åke Tott Åke is a Male, masculine Sweden, Swedish given name, possibly derived from the Germany in the Middle Ages, medieval Germanic name ''Anicho'', derived from ''ano'' meaning "ancestor". In Sweden, May 8 is the Name day for Åke. There are variant ...

, and the Queen Consort Catherine of Sweden. The pulpit has coats of arms of Queen Catherine, the House of Tott and the

House of Vasa The House of Vasa or Wasa was a Dynasty, royal house that was founded in 1523 in Sweden. Its members ruled the Kingdom of Sweden from 1523 to 1654 and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1668. Its agnatic line became extinct with t ...

painted on it. The newer pulpit was donated by president of the Royal Court in

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

, baron Ernst Johan Creutz in 1683. This pulpit is a replica of a pulpit that once stood in the Cathedral of Turku down to the fire of Turku during the 17th century. The pulpit was made by Henrik Mattsson Leino and Matts Reiman. The pulpit is considered to be the greatest pulpit that Reiman ever made.

Baptismal font

The

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

, made out of limestone, is from medieval era; it was donated to the church by lady Hebbla Siggesdotter Sparre in memory of his husband Councilor of the State, lord Erik Fleming, who owned the Suitia Manor, in 1550. This baptismal font is the latest item linked to the medieval baptism tradition in Finland.

Coats of arms

There were altogether 34 coats of arms that belonged to different noble houses in the church, but only three remain to this day. The coats of arms were used to commemorate the deceased member of the family who was buried under the church floor to family grave. After the burial the coat of arms was hanged on the wall of the church. The remaining coats of arms are: * Baron Ernst Johan Creutz * Otto Mauritz Krebs * Margareta Anrep af Soor

Burial chapel

In 1774 lady Maria Gyllenstierna af Lundholm was granted permission to build a burial chapel out of granite in touch to the church. When

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

became under rule of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, the Reuterholm family emptied the chapel and left for Sweden. They didn't want anything to do with Finland anymore. After the fire in 1823, the sacristy was moved to the then-already empty burial chapel. File:Siuntion kirkko, door to the cellar 01.jpg, Doors inside the church leading to the former burial chapel

Altar painting

The altar painting in Siuntio church represents

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

Gethsemane Gethsemane ( ) is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus Christ underwent the Agony in the Garden and was arrested before his crucifixion. The garden is ...

. The painting was donated to the church by Baroness Gyllenstierna af Lundholm in 1773 for payment of the burial chapel. The painting has been painted 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 ...

but the artist is unknown. The altar painting is decorated with coats of arms of the Reuterholm and the Gyllenestjerna families.

Organ

Siuntio St. Peter's Church was the first rural church in Finland to get its own

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

. This happened in 1786. The current organ is the church's third organ, and it is made by organ factory Paul Ott from Germany in 1971. File:Siuntion kirkko, urut, organ 1.jpg, Organ

Church textiles

The newest church textiles have been made by textile artist Helena Vaari in 2009 after the renovation of the church.

Images

File:Sjundeå kyrka vinterskrud.jpg, St. Peter's Church in winter. File:Sjundeå St Petri kyrka och begravningsplats.jpg, Eastern facade of the church seen from the cemetery. File:Sjundeå kyrka på hösten.jpg, Western facade of the church. File:Sjundeå St Petri kyrkas altare.jpg, Choir. File:Regnbågen i Sjundeå Sankt Petri kyrka.jpg, Altar and church hall. File:Sjundeå kyrkas takmålningar.jpg, Medieval vault paintings. File:Takmålningar i Sjundeå kyrka.jpg,

Evangelists Evangelist(s) may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a ...

depicted on the vaults. File:Antependium Sjundeå kyrka.jpg, Black church textile made by Helena Vaari.

References

{{Coord, 60.17713, 24.20421, format=dms, type:landmark_region:FI, display=title Lutheran churches in Finland Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism Medieval stone churches in Finland Siuntio 15th-century churches in Finland Gothic architecture in Finland