Holy Cross Church, Hattula

The Holy Cross Church (Finnish: Pyhän Ristin kirkko) in Parola, Hattula, Finland, is the oldest church in the former Tavastia (Häme) province.^[1] In the Middle Ages, the Church of the Holy Cross, known as a pilgrimage site, became famous for its frescoes.^[2]

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Finnish. (June 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions.

Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Finnish Wikipedia article at [[:fi:Hattulan Pyhän Ristin kirkko]]; see its history for attribution.
You may also add the template {{Translated|fi|Hattulan Pyhän Ristin kirkko}} to the talk page.
For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Quick facts Hattula Holy Cross Church, Location ...

Hattula Holy Cross Church
Hattulan Pyhän Ristin kirkko


61°03′03″N 024°23′52″E
Location	Hattula, Kanta-Häme
Country	Finland
Denomination	Lutheran
Website	www.hattula-evl.fi
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	True Cross
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Finnish Cultural Heritage Site of National Significance
Style	Gothic
Years built	1472–1490
Specifications
Materials	Brick
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Tampere

The Hattula church is known for its lime paint frescoes done in late Gothic style, likely completed by the same group of artists who later painted the St. Lars church in Lohja (Finnish: Pyhän Laurin kirkko).^[2]

Hattula’s Church of the Holy Cross was built on the Hurttalanharju ridge, which widens into mound-like formations, in a location of scenic importance on the shore of Hattulanselkä. The ancient center of the village of Hurttala, permanently settled during the Iron Age, was located north of the church. To the west of the church stretches a wide cultivated valley between Hurttala and Parola.^[2]

Hattula already belonged to a permanently settled area in Häme during prehistoric times. The parish and the first church were established at the end of the 1200s. Definitively, the Hattula parish is mentioned in documentary sources for the first time in the early 1300s. The current church was completed in a single construction period, which is believed to have taken place in the late 1300s or early 1400s. The choice of brick as the building material for the present church links it to the construction phases of Häme Castle. The Church of the Holy Cross is mentioned as a pilgrimage site in documents made by Queen Margaret in 1405 and 1411. The lime paintings in the church are thought to have been created during the episcopacy of Bishop Arvid Kurki, likely between 1513 and 1516, and were donated by Åke Jöransson Tott, the governor of Häme Castle, together with his wife Märta Bengsdotter Ulvin.^[2]

During the Catholic era, the Holy Cross Church in Hattula attracted a large number of participants to Sunday Mass. The Catholic Masses were mystical and ceremonial. The services lasted for several hours. During the Mass, attendees would sometimes go to enjoy beer at a nearby tavern. After drinking beer, they would return to the service.^[3]

During the Reformation, the church was required to send its silver items to Stockholm. The people of Hattula hid the items, which was a sign that they favored the Catholic faith. In Hattula, a saying remained: “good pope,” meaning a high-quality and abundant harvest.^[3]

Unlike other medieval rural churches, the church was built with brick in its visible wall surfaces. Only the later-renovated porch and the buttresses on the south wall are made of granite. The gables feature cross patterns and decorative bands composed of shaped bricks. The outer corners have buttresses. The sacristy and the porch face each other. Above the west window and at the outer corners of the buttresses are brick masks. On the east side, above the window, the façade bears a painted Calvary scene.^[2]

Inside, two rows of pillars divide the four-bay church hall into three naves of equal height, with the central nave being wider than the side aisles. In addition to the church hall, the walls and vault surfaces of the sacristy are covered with lime paintings. They are also found on the original east wall of the porch.^[2]

The most significant of the church’s medieval sculptures are the so-called Virgin Mary of the Master of Lieto, a crucifix, Saint Olaf, a Carrying of the Cross group, and Saint George and the Dragon. From the fixed interior fittings, two pulpits have survived. The four-sided, legless pulpit donated in 1550 by the owners of the Lepaa Manor is the oldest in Finland. The newer pulpit, supported by a sculpture of Saint Christopher, dates from 1701.^[2]

Among the older furnishings of the church are a wooden baptismal font from the latter half of the 15th century and seven funeral coats of arms from the 17th century. The altarpiece depicting the Last Supper, painted by Nils Schillmark, dates from 1782.^[2]

The first major restoration of the church took place in the 1580s after a lightning strike. A similar disaster happened again in 1752, when the roof truss structures had to be renewed. The porch was largely rebuilt from granite in the 1790s, and the windows (except for the sacramental windows and the west window) were enlarged in the early 1800s. The church was taken out of regular use in 1857 when the parish’s new brick church was completed. Initial restorations of the old church were done in 1889, during which the fixed interior furnishings were also removed and the previously lime-coated wall and pillar paintings from the early 1800s were uncovered. The paintings were restored by conservator O. Niemi in 1939–1940 and most recently conserved again in the 1980s.^[2]

The churchyard, surrounded by a stone wall, was likely already of its present size in the Middle Ages. It is accessed through passageways, of which the northern dates back to the Middle Ages and the southern to the early modern period. The upper part of the bell tower, whose base is of granite, was built in 1813 according to drawings from the Office of the Intendant.^[2]

Southwest of the church stands the parish granary, a three-storey, light-plastered building designed by A.F. Granstedt and completed in 1840. It now serves as the visitor center, shop, and café for the Church of the Holy Cross.^[2]

In the agricultural landscape, the manor centers of Kalliola and Kinnala are clearly visible, preserving traditional building stock, including main buildings from the 19th century.^[2]

Hattula’s Church of the Holy Cross is part of the nationally valuable landscape area known as “Vanajavesi Valley and Aulanko.”^[2]

Unique for having been built almost entirely of brick rather than stone, the church was a popular pilgrimage destination during the Middle Ages. A grey stone perimeter wall was added in the 16th century.^[1] The church contains paintings from the years 1510 through 1922, as well as 40 wooden sculptures dating to the first half of the 14th century.^[1] Precious-metal crowns which had formerly belonged to the church were confiscated during the Reformation. The church pulpit, dating to 1550, is the oldest surviving pulpit in Finland. A second pulpit was built in the 17th century. A bell tower next to the church dates to 1813.

Holy Cross Church, Hattula

History

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Wikiwand - on