Not far from the putative home of Santa Claus in Lapland is Sodankyla, home to an old wooden church. ALEX VAN RENSBURG visited the church.
The wind is cold and fresh; around me snow-covered mountains gaze down upon sparkling lakes. Waterfalls like silver strings of lace adorn the scene. Above all this, the sun shines majestically for 24 hours a day. It is summertime in Finnish Lapland. I have just crossed the Arctic Circle at Rovanieme in Finland, on my way to visit the magnificent North Cape. Accomplishing a childhood dream I pay a visit to the home of Santa Claus. Posing for photos together, my wife and I write letters to some lucky children in South Africa. I was fortunate in meeting his reindeer, especially the most famous of all, Rudolph with his shiny red nose!
From Rovanieme, moving northwards I arrive at Sodankyla: home to an old wooden church, one of Finland’s oldest Christian Churches.
Built in 1689, the church was constructed for the inhabitants of the districts of Sodankyla, Kittila, and Savukoski. This was done to avoid the very difficult journeys, especially in winter, to the little churches of Inari and Kemijarvi.
Most of these people were Samis living in Lapland. Coming from the Kemi district, they spoke a certain dialect which is now a dead language. They were Christians, but had not forgotten their old pagan customs.
However, the famous vicar of Lapland, Fr Gabriel Tuderus, had already from 1670 succeeded in destroying some of the symbols of these customs. These included shaman drums, idols and so-called magic doors in the houses.
In 1673 King Karel XI announced his new settlement program for Lapland. Finnish settlers moved into the territory, but remained a minority until the middle of the 18th century. On ecclesiastical holidays, Laps and the new settlers journeyed for many days to assemble at religious ceremonies. In winter they travelled by sleds drawn by reindeer, in summer by boat.
The architecture of the old church at Sodankyla follows the pattern of medieval Finnish church building-tradition, as well as that of the older wooden churches of Ostronobia. A modest sacristy adjoins the northern wall while the rectangular nave rises in an east west direction.
Tiny medieval windows with lead-framed panes look down on the simple altar constructed from rafters. Hefty wooden pillars support the walls near the pulpit. The back wall boasts a magnificent painting of the Last Supper by P Bergstrom, nearly 300 years old.
In the 18th century it was a general practice that leading personalities and their families were buried beneath the floor of the church. The body of two-weeks-old Abraham Cajander, a vicar’s son, is probably the best conserved mummy found here. The steep gable and decorative shingle roof with its extraordinary standards are interesting features on the outside.
The old church is unique, as it has been preserved in its original form through the generations. Paint was never used. Time alone has given the Lapland pine wood a beautiful silver patina.
Services were discontinued after the new stone church was built in 1859. The bell tower, which was situated a short distance from the southern wall, has been pulled down and transferred to the new church.
Inside the wooden building it is bitterly cold–there is no heating. The pews, the pulpit, the humble altar, the massive wooden beams, the worn floorboards, all speak for themselves. The woodwork is very roughly cut, but still demonstrates an art vanished long ago, beautiful in its own right. Standing here you realise how many prayed, in times of happiness, in times of sadness.
As I leave the old wooden church of Sodankyla, I feel that this tiny building was one of God’s great miracles.