April 25: Southern Finland tour – Petäjäveden kirkko 1
Near Jyväskylä, the next city on our itinerary, is the town of Petäjävesi, whose Vanha Kirkko (old church), built in the 1760s, is a nationally famous landmark.
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The church on approach, with its iconic bell tower.
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The front door open to welcome us.
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The cheerful spire.
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Nice solid stairs. — Edit 4/25/2019: they're actually Blockbau stairs!
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Another spire view. The weather was delightful this whole day.
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The first floor of the tower has this striking radially-patterned ceiling.
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Looking from the tower all the way down to the altar.
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A model of the tower's post-and-beam structure.
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The apse vault.
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Pews + console.
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The red patterns are simple but quite fetching, I think.
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Apparition of our tour guide.
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There's a cellar stair beneath the nave that we were allowed to explore.
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Closeup of items on display in a case in a back room.
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The cellar hatch.
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The central dome. — Edit 6/10/2020: the red accents recall the Erlenbach im Simmental farmhouses.
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Sharp sun.
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Textures closeup.