Kirkkokari

Memorial of Christianization of Finland

Kirkkokari ("the Church Islet", also known as Saint Henry's Island) is a small island in Lake Köyliö in Köyliö municipality, Satakunta, Finland. It is the only Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in Finland and one of the few in Nordic countries.[1]

According to tradition, Saint Henry was murdered on the ice of Lake Köyliö by the Kirkkokari island in the winter of 1156.[1] Since the 13th century it was a pilgrimage site for Catholics. A small chapel was built on the island which was used until the 18th century. Foundations of the chapel are still visible.[2] In 1955 the memorial of Christianization of Finland was erected in Kirkkokari and a small altar, "Saint Henry's altar", in 1999.[1]

The Finnish Roman Catholic Church organizes an annual pilgrimage to Kirkkokari via the Saint Henry's Way. The 140-kilometre-long journey starts from the city of Turku. It ends on a memorial service in Kirkkokari on the last pre-Midsummer Sunday.[1]

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Yeoman Lalli Köyliö municipality Official Homepage. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  2. ↑ Kirkkokari National Board of Antiquities (in Finnish). Retrieved 21 April 2014.

Coordinates: 61°08′50″N 22°19′32″E / 61.147199°N 22.325543°E / 61.147199; 22.325543


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