St Olaf's Church, Jomala

St Olaf's at Jomala is a grey stone church whose oldest fabric dates to the thirteenth century, and it is generally described as the oldest church in Finland still in use. It holds medieval wall paintings, a fourteenth-century crucifix and a font of the same period. The tower was rebuilt after a fire. Åland's churches are unusually old for the region and this is the senior of them.

What to look for

• The thirteenth-century fabric - the oldest church building in use in Finland.
• The wall paintings - the medieval decoration surviving inside.
• The crucifix and font - fourteenth-century fittings still in the church.
• The grey stone - the local granite the building is made of.

When to go

May to September is when the church is regularly open. Winter hours are limited and it can be locked. Services take priority.

Practical notes

The church is often locked outside the summer season. The claim to be Finland's oldest is generally accepted but depends on how the fabric is dated. It is a working parish church and services come first.

Nearby

Mariehamn is south, and Önningeby is southeast.