March 25: Pielpajärven kirkko
Several kilometers later, we arrived at the clearing of the Pielpajärvi church. According to outdoors.fi, the church is one of the oldest buildings in Lapland, completed in 1760, on the site of an older church from the 17th century. Pielpajärvi was a winter village for the residents of Inari back in the day.
1981
Right at the trail's entrance to the clearing (direct off the lake) are these buildings and this shelter.
1984
There's the church up in back.
1990
Closer in.
1991
And a zoom of the tower.
1993
Looking in all the way down to the end.
1995
Unusual low wooden barrel vaults.
2000
The transept.
2002
This ladder goes up to a balcony.
2003
The bell tower, where I snapped this from, is connected to the sanctuary at the transept.
2004
All kinds of light leaks were happening in the lower bell tower room.
2007
A more subtle example.
2008
The guest book and stairs up into the tower.
2009
It was pretty dark up there.
2010
Not with flash, though.
2014
Here's the same view without flash. Little light gaps everywhere.
2021
Posts within the tower holding up the still further-up platform.
2028
The pulpit from one of the balconies.
2038
We explored around the outside as well, within the fence. Here, the back gable.
2040
A back corner.
2043
Now just a little further on, a view back out to the clearing.
2046
Curiously, there were these boulders out front inside the yard.
2048
We picnicked inside this building, one of the ones by the trail entrance, building a little fire in this fireplace.
2050
Lunchtime!
2051
We brought hard-boiled eggs, which were a good idea.
2053
Yeah here it is. The fire.
2059
Then there was this nice Blockbau outhouse adjacent.
2060
The back side of the picnic cabin.
2061
The view back out to the lake from the clearing. I find this enchanting, somehow.