Churches in Finland

Pic 1 & 2-Larsmo church and the center of the dome
Pic 3, 4, 5-Korsnas church-pulpit and soldiers' memorial 'for home and fatherland'
Pic 6-9 Narpes church horse barns, immigration memorial, bell tower, and organ
Pic 10 & 11 Pojo church and bell tower
The dominant denomination in Finland is Lutheran. Most Finnish people go to church for christenings, confirmations, funerals, and major holidays. Not many people attend their local church on a regular basis. Most churches are in the shape of a cross. The priest speaks from a pulpit which is raised above the congregation. There is a separate altar which many times is in the shape of a circle. Most of them have a large boat suspended or displayed in the church symbolizing the seafaring who come to the church to worship. All of them have a cemetery and tribute to the soldiers from their community who died in the Finnish-Russian War in 1939 and WWII. There is also a detached bell tower for most of the churches. The first church and service we attended was in Jakobstad for William's last day of school.

The second church we looked in was in Larsmo. It was built in 1787. My grandfather's family worships here.

The third church we looked in was my grandmother's church in Korsnas which was built in 1747 and was remodeled in 1862. There is a corner stone on the belfry that dates to 1713, but I don't know what that is. We attended church on a Sunday evening and there were about 20 people there.

The fourth church we visited was my grandfather's father's church in Narpes. It was built in 1435. Outside, the small houses were used when people came to church on\with horses in the winter. There is also a large stone with a bronze relief dedicated to those who immigrated and died in a foreign country.

The fifth church we looked at was in Pojo, where we are now in Southern Finland in which these cousins have been married and confirmed. It is different than the other churches in that it is not in the shape of a cross. We looked inside tonight while a choir was practicing for a special program commemerating the 650th anniversary of the building of the church. Hopefully we will go to the program on Sunday.