Sund Church

The church of St John the Baptist at Sund is the largest medieval church in Åland, a grey stone building with a massive square west tower that reads more as a defensive work than a belfry, which on a frontier archipelago it partly was. The oldest parts go back to the thirteenth century. Inside are wall paintings, medieval wooden sculpture and stone carving on the portals. Kastelholm Castle stands a short distance away, and the two were the centre of Åland's administration through the medieval period.

The main sights

• The west tower - a massive square structure built as much for defence as for bells.
• The scale - the largest medieval church in the islands.
• The wall paintings - the surviving medieval decoration inside.
• The wooden sculpture - the medieval figures kept in the church.

When to go

May to September is when the church is regularly open. Winter hours are limited. Services take priority over visits.

Before you go

The church is often locked outside the summer season. Interpretation inside is limited and mainly in Swedish. It is a working parish church.

Nearby

Kastelholm is nearby, and Bomarsund is east.

Key facts