Valuable sculpture from the 17th century was saved from the flames

The alarm about the fire in the church came at 03:00 on the night of Tuesday. The rescue service could tell even before they arrived that it would be difficult to save the wooden church as they could see the flames from several miles away.

The church from the 18th century burned to the ground. But everything from socks, made by the sewing association for newly baptized children, to cultural relics from the 17th century, the firefighters managed to save.

– I am completely moved when I think of the work they have done in the midst of an ongoing fire. It’s absolutely unbelievable and I don’t understand that they managed to save such things, says vicar Heli Pruikkonen.

The future is uncertain for the church

During Friday, work started on going through the objects that could be saved. In addition, talks are ongoing with the County Administrative Board about the future of the church itself and the cemetery, as it is culturally marked.

There are opportunities to rebuild everything, but the future will tell.

In the clip above, you can see King David with the 17th-century harp that was saved from the flames.

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