Jäppilä Church Jäppilän kirkkotie 11
FI-77570 Jäppilä
Inquiries: tel. +35850 381 9642Jäppilä Church is a medium-sized wood church built under the direction of Ferdinand Öhman in 1872. It was most recently renovated in 1988. The church is located in the central village of Jäppilä adjacent to the parish hall and cemetery, surrounded by other traditional buildings. The church is open during services.
Pieksämäki Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos Vanha Mikkelintie 18
FI-76100 Pieksämäki
Tel. +35840 502 1838 / Saimaa Orthodox Parish www.ortsaimaa.net www.facebook.com/groups/ortodoksinet
Saimaa Orthodox Parish was established on 1 January 2017 connecting Mikkeli and Varkaus Orthodox Parishes. Pieksämäki Church (dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos, or the birth of the Virgin Mary) was completed to a design by T. Paatela in 1955. The church is open during services.
Pieksämäki Parish New Church Keskuskatu 27
FI-76100 Pieksämäki
Inquiries: tel. +35850 381 9642The New Church of Pieksämäki Parish is suitable for a variety of activities, from church services to smaller events. In addition to the church proper, the building houses various club rooms and a gymnasium. The church was built to a design by K. Ström and O. Tuomisto in 1968. The church seats 420. An extension to the building was completed in 1986. The most prominent features and artworks in the church are the organ built by Juhani Tuomi organ builders, the altarpiece by Gunnar Uotila and the batik artwork by Assi Huunonen in the vestibule.
Pieksämäki Parish New Church
Pieksämäki Parish Old Church and belfry Kirkkotie 31
FI-76150 Pieksämäki
Inquiries: tel. +35850 381 9642The Old Church of Pieksämäki Parish is prominently located on a knoll between the Agricola training centre and the Diakonia University of Applied Sciences. The church was built under the direction of August Sorsa in 1753 and seats 600 to 800. It is the oldest church in the Diocese of Kuopio and one of the oldest surviving churches in all of eastern Finland. The free-standing belfry, even older than the church, is the oldest building in Pieksämäki (August Sorsa, 1746). Paintings by Mikael Toppelius on the pulpit and on the gallery railings are of particular interest. The church was most recently renovated in 2001–2002, at which time the paintings were restored.
Pieksämäki Parish Old Church and belfry
Ristikivi Church Partaharjuntie 361
FI-76280 Partaharju
Tel. +35844 725 4124
partaharju@partaharju.info www.partaharju.info
Ristikivi Church, owned by the Partaharju Foundation, is located in the forest adjacent to the Partaharju College. It was completed in 1971 to a design by architect Jussi Lappi-Seppälä. Its most striking feature is that it has no roof: it is open to the heavens while separated from the woodland by sturdy log walls. The name Ristikivi (literally ‘cross stone’) comes from a stone some 1,800 million years old on which the continental ice sheet in the Ice Ages carved a cruciform shape. The stone was found in 1967 in what became the ‘floor’ of the church after laying there for 10,000 years. When the church was built, it became self-evident that the stone would be placed on the altar and the church would be named after the stone. The church serves both guests and Partaharju camp attendees, and activities take place there around the year. Ristikivi Church is popular for weddings and a well-known local attraction. The church officially seats 436. It is always open and can be booked for private functions.
Vaalijala Church Nenonpellontie 40, courtyard
FI-76940 Nenonpelto
Further information: Eija Korhonen, tel. +35850 3899 215
Inquiries: tel. +35815 783 1215 or +35815783 1234The church is located in the grounds of the Vaalijala rehabilitation centre at Nenonpelto. It is principally intended for residents of the centre, but everyone is welcome to attend services, concerts and other events there. The church was completed to a design by A. Blomstedt in 1958 and features a steeply pitched roof. Its most curious feature is the altarpiece, the magnum opus of artist Armas Hutri: a panel made up of 33,000 pieces of pine wood, 9 m wide and 1.8 m high.
Vaalijala Church
Virtasalmi Marble Church Kirkkopolku 1
FI-77330 Virtasalmi
Inquiries: tel. +35850 381 9642The first church in Virtasalmi, designed by architect K. Kiseleff and built in 1876, dated from the time when the community was not yet an independent parish. It was destroyed in a fire in 1976 and replaced with the current church in 1978, a pitched-roof design by Olavi Reima with walls made of limestone from the Ankele quarry. The parish centre and the Virtasalmi cemetery are adjacent to the church.
