Church of the Holy Cross, Rauma
Building in Rauma, Finland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Church of the Holy Cross (Finnish: Pyhän Ristin kirkko, Swedish: Heliga korsets kyrka) is a medieval fieldstone church in Rauma, Finland. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).
| Church of the Holy Cross | |
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 Interactive map of the Church of the Holy Cross area | |
General information | |
| Location | Rauma, Finland |
| Coordinates | 61°07′47″N 21°30′44″E |
Construction started | 1515 |
Completed | 1520 |
The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary.[1] The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420. Historians assume the current stone church was completed in 1515–1520.[1] The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.[2]
The church itself is a two-aisle church made of grey granite. The choir features fresco-secco style murals depicting the Biblical story of salvation. The paintings are from the time of Arvid Kurck, who was Bishop of Turku 1510–1522.[3] The Bell tower was built in 1816. It was made of stones from the ruins of the Church of the Holy Trinity. The white steeple used to serve as a landmark for seafarers.[4]
