St Lawrence's Church, located in

Eckerö Eckerö is a municipality of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Swedish an ...

on the

Åland Islands Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

, is a

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 ...

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

stone church. The church represents a significant example of medieval ecclesiastical architecture in the

Baltic region The Baltic Sea Region, alternatively the Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states, refers to the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, including parts of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Un ...

. Constructed from grey stone between 1380 and 1420, according to the most recent datings, the church was originally dedicated to

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...

during the Catholic period of

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, ...

. The building features a rectangular

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 ...

oriented along an east–west axis, with a

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 ...

positioned to the north and a porch to the south. At the western end of the nave stands a substantial bell tower, its width matching that of the nave; notably, one of the bells has been dated to the 13th century, predating the current structure. The church interior provides seating for approximately 275 congregants. Its altarpiece, ''The Sinful Woman Before Christ'', was painted by Bernhard Reinhold in 1876. Among the church’s medieval furnishings are a wooden

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 ...

and four wooden sculptures of saints. The

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 ...

, a later addition, was designed by the architect

Carl Ludvig Engel Carl Ludvig Engel or Johann Carl Ludwig Engel (3 July 1778 – 14 May 1840) was a German architect whose most noted work can be found in Helsinki, which he helped rebuild. His works include most of the buildings around the capital's monumental ce ...

. The organ, constructed by Hans Heinrich in 1971, is equipped with seven stops. In the nearby area of Signilskär, Hammarland, the ruins of a chapel—likely dating from the 13th century—can be found, further attesting to the region’s long-standing ecclesiastical heritage. Opposite Eckerö Church stands the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

, with its present appearance being the result of renovations carried out in the late 19th century.

Images

File:Eckero church interior.jpg, The altar of the church. File:Baptismal font Eckero church.jpg, Eckerö Church baptismal font. File:Madonna Eckero church.jpg, Wooden sculpture depicting madonna and child. File:Eckeron kirkko maalaukset.jpg, Late gothic wall paintings in Eckerö Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:St Lawrence's Church, Eckero Medieval stone churches in Finland Lutheran churches in Finland Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism Buildings and structures in Åland 15th-century churches in Finland Gothic architecture in Finland