Ristijärvi Church

Ristijärvi Church is a wooden cross-shaped church with a tower, built between 1806–1807 based on designs by Gustaf af Sillén. Its symmetrical layout features a square tower at the center and a lower sacristy extending from the altar end. The tower has a tented roof, while the arms of the cross are topped with hipped roofs and rounded flat ceilings inside.

The church’s original 21-stop organ, built by Kangasala Organ Factory in 1956, was replaced in 2011 with a 22-stop organ crafted by Finnish Organ Builders. The altarpiece Crucified was painted by Toivo Tuhkanen in 1956. An earlier altarpiece of the same name, painted in 1807 by Carl Petter Elftröm from Oulu, is displayed in the church’s vestibule.

Though the bells were initially planned for the tower, a separate belfry was built in 1840 under Jaakko Kuorikoski. The larger bell, originally cast in Stockholm in 1831, cracked in 1948 and was recast in Ykspihlaja. The smaller bell was cast in Juankoski in 2007.

The churchyard’s war hero cemetery holds 125 graves.

Visits to the church can be arranged by contacting the parish sexton at +358 44 362 0024.

Price:

Free