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.