A stone church with a tall tower surrounded by a cemetery, featuring a pathway leading through lush green grass. An ornate iron gate opening onto a pebbled path leading to a historic stone church surrounded by trees.
Finland

Åland: Islands of Stone and Steeples

Seafarers' Church St. Birgitta
 Åland, Finland, July 2023

Åland is an archipelago of more than 6,500 islands and skerries in the southern Baltic Sea. Only about 60 to 80 of these islands are permanently inhabited; the rest are rocky outcrops covered with pine trees, stones, and the occasional patch of grass. Ninety percent of the population lives on Fasta Åland, the main island group, made up of a couple of large neighboring islands connected by bridges.

Åland has a unique political status. It is an autonomous region of Finland with Swedish as its official language. As early as 1920, the League of Nations granted the islands extensive rights to protect their Swedish language and culture. Additionally, no military activity is permitted here in peacetime.

When I traveled to Åland, I had planned to take some classic island photos—rocks, water, perhaps a decorative seagull. Instead, I ended up photographing almost nothing but churches because on Åland they are everywhere. On every island, in every small village, there’s a church. Some stand in green fields, some by the water, some with graveyards, some without. In total, there are at least 16 churches on Åland, twelve of them from the Middle Ages—which, given the modest size of the land, is remarkable. A few date back to the thirteenth century, and almost all of them still seem to be in regular use.

Honestly, I’ve rarely seen so many old churches in such a short time—and I’ve been to Rome.

Map of Åland
A scenic view of a rocky coastline with a red cottage surrounded by lush greenery and calm waters in Åland.
A sailboat with a black sail navigating through calm waters, surrounded by rocky islands and greenery.
A sailboat glides through calm waters in a coastal landscape featuring rocky islands and green trees.
A picturesque island with lush greenery and a charming red cottage surrounded by tranquil blue waters.
A historic stone church with a tall tower, surrounded by trees and a grassy area, against a clear blue sky.
A stunning church interior featuring a red carpet leading to an ornate altar, with white vaulted ceilings and rows of light blue chairs.
The church in Jomala is dedicated to Saint Olav and is the oldest church in Åland – and probably the oldest stone building in Finland. Built sometime between 1275 and 1285, it was significantly expanded later in the 19th century.
A medieval wall painting featuring religious figures in vibrant colors, showcasing historical art and cultural heritage.
Ancient mural depicting religious figures and scenes with detailed outlines and hues, showcasing cultural artistry from Åland.
The medieval parts of Jomala Church were decorated in the 1280s with early Gothic wall paintings in yellow, blue, green, and red. These were probably whitewashed over in the 17th century, but were uncovered again in the 1930s.
A historic church with a tall spire, surrounded by a cemetery, framed by a black metal gate and grass paths.
A view of the cemetery of Jomala Church.
A stone building with a pointed roof, surrounded by a lush green garden and a low rock wall, under a clear blue sky.
Eckerö Church dates back to the late 13th century and is dedicated to St. Lawrence the Martyr. The unusually wide tower was built in 1467. Coins, graves, and the church bell found on the site indicate that there was an older church here, probably built of wood.
A historic stone church with a tall spire, surrounded by lush greenery and a graveyard, under a clear blue sky.
Sund Church is the largest stone church in Åland – and, together with Jomala Church, one of the oldest. It was built at the end of the 13th century. In 1678, it was ravaged by a severe fire that damaged the vaults, broke the bell, and caused the walls to collapse. However, the triumphal cross was spared. In 1921, the church burned down again, but once more, most of the interior was saved. Its current appearance is the result of several restorations, most recently a thorough restoration in the late 1990s.
A detailed architectural plan featuring elevations and floor layouts of Johannes Döparens Kyrka in Åland.
For a small donation, I was allowed to take a craft sheet from the Sund Church, on which all the components of the church model are pre-printed on a scale of 1:something. Maybe I'll glue it together someday.
Interior of a historic church featuring arched columns, pews, and a model ship hanging from the ceiling. Soft lighting enhances the serene atmosphere.
A wooden crucifix displayed in a serene, softly lit interior, featuring sculptural details and a simple ceiling design.
Inside the Sund Church stands a triumphal cross more than five meters high, made of oak, alder, and pine. It was probably assembled and painted on site in the mid-13th century from imported individual parts.
A stone church with a tall tower surrounded by a cemetery, featuring a pathway leading through lush green grass.
The church in Hammarland dates back to the late 13th century and is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Over the centuries, the church has been through a lot. During the Reformation (early 16th century), it was temporarily abandoned and used as an ossuary for a time, with hundreds of skulls stored there. There were repeated fires. The first broke out around 1440. The last was in February 2010. At that time, two teenage girls who described themselves as Satanists tried to set fire to the building with Molotov cocktails. Thanks to the automatic fire alarm and the quick response of the local fire department, the damage was minor.
A brick church with a steep green roof and a tall spire, flanked by flower pots and stone steps, under a partly cloudy sky.
A brick building with a pointed roof surrounded by bright red flowers and green grass, set against a clear sky.
St. George's Church is located in Mariehamn and was consecrated in 1927—donated by the Troberg couple, who apparently had both money and faith in sufficient quantities.
A historic brick building with a pointed roof and steeple, featuring round and rectangular windows, surrounded by stone steps.
The south side of St. George's Church in Mariehamn.
A charming wooden building with a tall spire, surrounded by lush greenery and a teal picket gate. Pathway leads to the entrance.
St. Andrew's Church in Lumparland is located on a hill overlooking Kapellviken Bay. The church was built in the 1720s and is the oldest of Åland's three wooden churches.
A stone church with a steep roof, surrounded by lush greenery and colorful flowers, showcasing historic architecture.
St. Michael's Church in Finström dates back to the mid-15th century and is one of Finland's best-preserved medieval buildings. Its tower is integrated directly into the nave – an unconventional feature that was probably inspired by Turku Cathedral.
A stone church wall featuring an arched door, with shadows cast by nearby trees and a grave marker in the foreground.
An ornate iron gate opening onto a pebbled path leading to a historic stone church surrounded by trees.
A historic stone church tower surrounded by greenery and a pathway, showcasing a blue sky and peaceful cemetery in foreground.
St. Birgitta is a typical seafarers' church in the village of Lemland. The nave was built at the end of the 13th century. The tower was added in 1317.
A historic stone church with a red steeple, surrounded by green trees and a grassy area, set against a clear blue sky.
St. Mary's Church in Saltvik was built in the 14th century and later continuously expanded, rebuilt, and remodeled. Today, it is almost impossible to trace its entire architectural history – there have been too many alterations and too many layers. The Baroque tower was added in the 18th century, the apse was not built until the 1850s, and in the mid-20th century, attempts were made to restore the church to its original appearance. The architectural inconsistency also reflects the changes that the place itself has undergone over the centuries. Saltvik used to be the center of the island, and the church was correspondingly important. Today, little of this significance remains, but in the architecturally motley church, one can still sense a part of this history.
A historic stone church in a lush green setting with a gravel pathway and intricate iron gate shadows.
A historic stone tower with a red roof, surrounded by greenery and a pathway in a park setting.
A scenic view of red wooden boathouses along a calm waterway, surrounded by lush greenery and a small boat in the foreground.
A wooden boat docked beside a weathered shed on calm water, surrounded by colorful houses and greenery. Clear blue sky overhead.
A traditional red wooden windmill stands on a grassy landscape, surrounded by lush green trees under clear blue skies.
Historic stone building surrounded by green grass and a red wooden fence under a clear blue sky.
Kastelholm Castle is the only preserved medieval castle in Åland and one of only five in Finland. The first written mention of the castle dates back to 1388. Due to its strategic location in the middle of what was then the Swedish Empire, it was besieged several times in the following centuries. After a fire in 1745, the castle lost its importance and gradually fell into disrepair. It was used by local farmers as a grain store and quarry before being restored in the 20th century and reopened to the public.
A historic stone building beside a calm river, surrounded by lush greenery and a walking path in Åland.
Until the early 16th century, Kastelholm Castle stood on a small island. However, due to post-glacial land uplift – the ground rises here by around 50 cm per century – the water on the east and south sides dried up. In 1546, an attempt was made to solve the problem by creating an artificial moat, but a hundred years later this too had dried up and remains so to this day.
A red and black striped lighthouse on a rocky islet in clear blue waters, with a small sailboat in the background.