Tenala Church

This greystone church dates from as early as the 13th century.

The greystone church, probably dedicated to St Olof, takes the visitor on a journey through the centuries, starting in the 12th century. The three-aisled grey stone church with two rows of pillars was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. The sacristy, built into the north wall of the church, is the remains of a wooden church, probably from before the 13th century. Tenala church is one of the finest medieval churches in Finland in terms of interior architecture.

The lower part of the bell tower made of grey stone, as well as the north tower (morgue) on the north side of the church, which were built together with the cemetery wall in the 14th century, were the entrance gates to the medieval cemetery. Despite numerous finds from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, which indicate settlement for over 4,000 years, Tenala is first mentioned in historical sources in 1329.

The bell from the 12th century (in the belfry) is probably the oldest of its kind on the mainland. (A similar bell is in Eckerö church on Åland.) The burial chapel by the cemetery wall belongs to Prästkulla farm and Lindö farm. The church was last restored in 1984-1986.

For more than 700 years, the church has been the centre of the village of Tenala, providing comfort and support for the inhabitants in both good and difficult times. Even today, the church and its beautiful surroundings bring peace and harmony to weary travellers in a restless world.