Church of Pyhäjoki

The church of the Pyhäjoki parish was designed by Karvala & Silvennoinen and completed in 1977 after the previous one designed by Carl Ludvig Engel was destroyed in a fire in 1974. The church is the third built in Pyhäjoki: The first church was built already in the 16th century. The candle chandeliers and the baptismal font dating back to that time decorate the present church of Pyhäjoki. Built in 1736 within the first church, the bell tower designed by Simon Knup still serves the parishioners. The second church of Pyhäjoki was a large 1200-seat empirical cruciform church drawn by C.L. Engel, and it was completed in 1844. The fire that broke out of a lightning destroyed this magnificent building in the midsummer night of 1974.

The designer used the following words of a psalm as the starting point: “Lift up your hearts to the Lord.” The church combines a modern exterior appearance to an interior that exudes sanctity and harmony. The central positioning of the items salvaged from the burnt church creates a striking link between the old and the new. The wall of the church hall is adorned by sculptor Kari Juva’s brick relief ‘Ten Virgins’. The evocative piece also serves as a statement of faith and an acoustic element.