Siikajoki Church

The first house of the Lord on the banks of Siikajoki River was built in 1589. When the Russians burned it down in 1591, the parish constructed a new shrine in its place in 1600. The building was eventually torn down to make way for the current church built in 1701. The floor, ceiling and pews of the church were renovated in 1765. During the same year, Jaakko Suonperä built a pulpit for the church hall. The church was renovated to its current form in 1852 according to the designs of Johan Oldenburg. A tower with a dome top rises from the centre of the church building. Two wings of the building feature hipped roofs while two are covered with a gable roof. Over the years, the church has been renovated numerous times. In 1958, the interiors were repainted and oil central heating was installed.

The church was 70 years old when Mikael Toppelius decorated it with some ornamental paintings between 1771 and 1772. He painted the altar piece and decorated the pulpit with pictures of Christ and the Evangelists. The theme of the altar piece is ‘Jesus in Gethsemane’. The work that is positioned above and depicts the famous spear thrust was also made by Toppelius. The altar was originally in the southeast corner of the church. It was moved to its current location in the east wing of the church in connection to the renovation conducted in 1852. A wooden belfry, which is still in use, was constructed near the church in 1765.