Churches on Åland
There are no less than 16 churches on Åland, the oldest dating back to the 1100’s. If you want to learn more about the Åland Island’s history, we can recommend a visit to the churches.
Within the walls of the churches lies the most important information about the medieval culture and history of the area. Within 200 years – from the middle of the 1200’s and 200 years forward – no less than 12 stone churches were built in Åland.
The churches are not built from any given blueprint. Even though most of the mother churches* in Åland were built at about the same time, at the end of the 1200’s, they are different in size, floor plans, building techniques and decorations. This suggests that the villagers didn’t feel compelled by the ecclesiastic authorities. Instead they could freely decide how they wanted to build their own church – often quite different from the one built in the neighbouring parish.
The churches in Åland are situated in places of great natural beauty. The land uplift has visibly changed the landscape and it is not always apparent that all churches, except the church of Jomala, were originally placed near sailable waterways. The Föglö church is for example situated near the ancient Valdemar fairway.