Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

Church of the Holy Cross in Hattula, Finland.

© Karasev Viktor/Shutterstock

Hattulan Pyhän Ristin

Top choice


Dating from the early 1300s, this Gothic-style church in a walled churchyard has an interior filled with fabulous naive frescoes created in the early 16th century. Well preserved, these tell the key stories of the Bible; the Tree of Jesse in the vestry is particularly fine. The interior also features a fine carved and painted pulpit from 1550, and a number of wooden statues depicting religious scenes. A peaceful grassed graveyard next to the church slopes down to the water's edge.

For the illiterate parishioners, it must have been an awe-inspiring place. It still is. Nearby, an old grain store houses the information office and sells handicrafts – staff here have the church keys.

The church is 9km northwest of ±áä³¾±ð±ð²Ô±ô¾±²Ô²Ô²¹, accessed via Hwy 57.


Contact

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Panssarimuseo

1.89 MILES

On the edge of the village of Parola, this imposing collection of tanks and armour is housed on a hillside above a museum that puts them in context and…

2. Aulanko

2.5 MILES

North of the town centre, this central-European-style park with ponds, swans, pavilions, a granite fortress and exotic trees was created early in the 20th…

3. Museo Militaria

3.78 MILES

There are numerous museums devoted to Finnish involvement in WWII, but this takes the cake. It’s huge. There are three floors packed with war memorabilia,…

4. ±áä³¾±ð±ð²Ô±ô¾±²Ô²Ô²¹

3.85 MILES

±áä³¾±ð±ð²Ô±ô¾±²Ô²Ô²¹ means Häme Castle, so it’s no surprise that this bulky, twin-towered, red-brick fortress is the town’s pride and most significant…

5. Vankilamuseo

3.88 MILES

Häme Castle's old cellblock, last used in 1993, has been converted into a prison museum where you can visit a solitary confinement cell or see graffiti…

6. Palanderin Talo

4.21 MILES

Finland loves its house-museums and this is among the best, offering a wonderful insight into well-off 19th-century Finnish life, thanks to excellent…

7. Sibeliuksen syntymäkoti

4.33 MILES

Composer Johan Julius Christian (Jean) Sibelius was born in ±áä³¾±ð±ð²Ô±ô¾±²Ô²Ô²¹ in 1865 and was schooled here, but the town makes surprisingly little fuss about…