kerimaki church

The size of this wooden building makes one just gaze in amazement and awe at craftsmanship in such a huge structure. The belfry outside also provides amazing views of beautiful Lake Puruvesi. A visit for a summer church service (it is only used in summer) may be satisfactory, but I cannot recommend this place for a concert. The wooden upright pews, have such narrow seats, that without cushions they are agony for anything longer more than half an hour of sitting. The venue may be an ideal location to seat large numbers, but be warned the benches are torture.

The sheer scale of building is awesome when you know its made of wood. Has a separate bell tower - which is apparently very Finnish. It was not open. Is due in 2015 to start acting as a concert hall for classical music to compliment the opera season at nearby Olavin castle in Savonlinna

The church of Kerimäki is the world’s largest Christian wooden church and has the most spacious interior in Finland. Designed by Anders Fredrik Granstedt and built between 1844 and 1847, the church has a length of 45 metres, a width of 42 m, a height of 37 m and a seating capacity of more than 3,000.The construction was completed on September 25th 1847 and the church was consecrated at Whitsun, on June 11th 1848.The Church is open in Summer 20141.-30.6. 10-18midsummer eve 20.6. 10-161.-31.7. 10-191.-10.8. 10-1811.-31.8. 10-16 (Tower closed)There is no entrance fee. Visitors can give a donation into the donation arch in the church.In this church holds interactive excursions for children.Bell tower is separate from the church, it is an observation deck. From the observation deck a good view of the surroundings, a good place for the photographer.The motto of the Kerimäki church is contained in the altarpiece, which has the words of Jesus:”Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

It is a huge church, the largest wooden church in the world apparently. It is definitely worth a visit since it is so unique and you must also climb the stairs to the top to see the view.

Kerimäki wooden church has a very special feeling in it. It starts when you enter the church. Strong wooden scent and massive interior makes the experience more intense. High ceiling with wooden structures is something you don't very often see. The church is actually worlds largest wooden church.

The church and the surroundings are very nice!There is a nice observatory nearby also where you can enjoy the view over the lake!Out of season a bit hard to find a place for coffee though

It is THE LARGEST wooden church in the world. A sure must see!It is a summer church and closed in winter, except for Christmas mass (Dec, 24).

This church is only open to the public from June until the end of August. I went in September so i was only able to take pictures. Beautiful. I was disappointed I could not go inside. There is a lovely cafe right across the street. (Not the Ravintola which is more resturant like.) This place was more low key and you can order from the outside and sit outside, or go inside and relax.They have a grill and ready to eat food. Also, coffee and pastries. Worth the visit!! There is a lot of history on this church. The cafe had a book on the church at the table I sat at so I was able to read and learn more. The book is in English and Finnish. This church is only about a 20 mins drive from Savonlinna.

Being one who admires the architecture of all sorts of houses of worship, I was determined to take a look at Kerimaki church in Finland's Lake district in the Southeastern part of that country. Billed as the largest wooden church inthe world, Kerimaki begins working on your sense of awe even before you set foot in the door. Inside the thrill and excitement continued as I made my way through the body of the church looking up, down and all around as they say.One apocryphal story I heard about the church is that that the architect designed the massive structure in centimeters, but the builder misunderstood and erected it using inches, which are 2.54 times larger. At any rate, the structure is 148 feet long, 138 feet wide and 121 feet tall, big enough to seat 3,000 worshipers and another 2,000 standees. I particularly enjoyed the view from the choir loft, which gave me a better appreciation of the expansiveness and spatial grandeur of this truly remarkable church. The loft is normally off limits to visitors but I lucked out by gettin gthere on the right day for admission to the loft.

The church overshadows the entire town. One wonders what they had in mind---where would the 5,000 worshipers come from?

It is said that the size of the church was the result of a miscalculation when it was built (the architect was working in centimetres, which the builder misunderstood to be inches, which are 2.54 times larger). But most likely the church was actually intended to be as big as it is, so it could easily accommodate 5000 people at the same time. The church is closed in winter time as there is no heating. Inside the church there are wooden sculptures of poor men with alms box where you can put coins.

We had a short visit while we were returning from Savonlinna. The church is very interesting and enchanting. When you see how bit it is you might not believe that it is entirely made of wood. There is nothing else in surrounding but its worth a stop.

Awesome! Worlds largest wooden church and so beautiful! I really enjoyed to feel myself so small in this huge big church!

It is claimed to be the largest wooden church in the world, but its exterior is nothing excptional or unusual from the architectural point of view.

It's well worth visiting this enormous church. It's on a hill, painted yellow with white windows on the outside. Inside, on a summer day, the sunlight streamed in through all the windows. The walls and pillars are painted a marbled grey. There is a huge pipe organ and a large painting over the altar. The atmosphere is lovely. It's only used for services in summer because there is no heating. The exception is a special Christmas service with candles. Minus degrees both outside and in.Give a few euros for the renovation.