Rautjärvi Church was a 1881 completed wooden church in Rautjärvi, Finland. It was destroyed by fire on Christmas Day 2022. The church was set on fire during the morning service by an elderly man who was later found dead.[1][2] Before the arson, the church was listed as one of the regionally significant cultural environments in South Karelia.[3]

Rautjärvi Church
Finnish: Rautjärven kirkko
Rautjärvi Church in 2014
Map
61°17′58″N 29°07′49″E / 61.299549°N 29.130250°E / 61.299549; 29.130250
LocationMiettiläntie 1757, Rautjärvi
CountryFinland
DenominationEvangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Architecture
Architect(s)A. J. Jansson
Completed1881
Demolished2022
Specifications
Capacity1 200
Administration
DioceseDiocese of Mikkeli
ParishRuokolahti
Church ruins a week after the fire

References

edit
  1. ^ "Police suspect elderly man set Rautjärvi church on fire". Yle News. 27 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Elderly man suspected of setting church on fire in Rautjärvi, South Karelia". Helsinki Times. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Arvokkaat kulttuuriympäristöt vähentyneet Etelä-Karjalassa" (in Finnish). Etelä-Saimaa artikkelitietokanta. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2022.