History of South-Savo and Lake Saimaa ON THE PIER Living on the shores of Lake Saimaa

Saimaa becomes inhabited Savo between East and West Town built on islands Expanding town The harbour Strait Kyrönsalmi Tarburning Ironworks Agriculture Life in the archipelago Savo dwelling Villas Sääminki parish Church boats Savo boats Boats for every occasion Tar steamers Constructing a tar steamer Life on tar steamers Winter journeys   SÄÄMINKI PARISH Sääminki became a vicariate in 1477. The joined church of Sääminki and Savonlinna was located in Kirkkoniemi, previously known as Karttulahti. The first church was constructed of wood and completed by 1510. Deriving from a Catholic period, it was a rectangular-shaped hall church set in an east-west direction, liking to medieval stone churches and earlier southern Finnish churches. The church was badly neglected during the Great Northern War and under Russian occupation, and was finally destroyed in a fire in 1716. Sääminki’s second church was completed in 1728, supervised by master builder Pekka Kolehmainen (Petter Collenius). The wooden cruciform church with a hipped roof represented a new style in church construction. Furnishings were scanty as the fire had destroyed the fittings of the previous church. In 1756-1757, the pulpit was decorated with railing paintings, and sculptures and paintings were acquired. These include a two-part altarpiece by Petter Lang as well as a painting representing the ten virgins awaiting the groom. Carpenter Anders Söderberg created a painted wooden sculpture for the chancel depicting the Victorious Saviour. A third church was built in 1782-1783 in place of the previous rapidly rotting church, which had also become too small for the congregation. This, too, was a cruciform church: it was painted in red ochre, and had a tarred roof. The altarpiece, pulpit with its railing paintings and series of paintings decorating the galleries were brought in from the old church. The third church was later pulled down, as in 1878 Savonlinna and Sääminki saw the completion of a new joint church constructed from red brick. This present neo-gothic church was designed by architect A H Dahlström. The timber from the old Sääminki church was used for building Sääminki House, still to be found next to the church. The building housed municipality offices and an elementary school. Sääminki was incorporated into Savonlinna in 1973, but the parishes were not joined until 1995.

29.7.2005