The interview with
Annika Nyström
What is your official position in the Old Church in Petäjävesi?
Annika Nyström: World Heritage Coordinator of
the Old Church (I work for the Foundation of Petäjävesi Old Church).
What are the main points in decorations of The Old Church ?
Annika: Pulpit with four apostoles, Jesus and
St. Christopher carrying the pulpit, small altar with antependium (a replica),
high ceiling decorated with vault ribs painted in red ochra, blue ceiling of
the belfry, the shingle roof of the belfry and the church.
There are just fiew mentioned, there are more
of course.
What was the importance of the Old Church in the past?
Annika: The people of Petäjävesi wanted to
build an own church as the way to the mother church (and mother parish) of
Jämsä was difficult, and 50
kilometres long. The people of Petäjävesi were really
initiative in building the church which tells about the importance of the
church. The church was not just a place of worship and a place where you could
hear about bible and so on but it was a place of hearing important news and
meeting other people. So we could say that it was the heart of the community.
When was the church written into the World Heritage List of Sites?
Annika: 1994
Who is the owner of the Church nowadays?
Annika: Parish of Petäjävesi
Can you tell us how is the church used nowadays (what and how often in 2011-2013)?
Annika: from June until August: Sunday services
at 10 am (usually at 10 am) every week. Summer concerts on Wednesdays from June
until the end of August. Weddings almost every Saturday in the summer, usually
1-2 babtizing ceremonies per summer. The children who start the school are
being blessed in the church together with their parents. 26th December a
service with candles. The cemetary is not in use anymore (except of burials to
family graves) but there has been couple of funerals in the 20 past years. Some
groups (like school groups) hold small services in the church or organize other
happenings for classes. Groups from the local daycare and school visit the
church usually in May or in September. Tourists visit the church year around.
Do you think that the church is used enough?
Do visitors´s visits depend on their religion?
Annika: Yes, I think the church is used enough.
We have visitors from around 70 countries each year, so there are visitors
representing not only catholisism but also muslims, hindus... For example
Japans give high value to the church as a wooden building and I assume also as
a place of worship. So the visitors and visits vary very much.
Do you have any idea what would help to welcome more visitors in the church?
Annika: actually we don't want to increase the
number of visitors, not at least in the high season (15.6.-15.8.), but we want
to improve the experience of the visit and give more attention to how to
respect the building, with its surroundings, as a very old wooden building and
as a World Heritage Site. So we need to protect the building from degradation
and erosion.
The interview with Seppo Ojala
What is your official position in the Old Churchin Petäjävesi?
I am a parish
leader, leading priest, in Finnish ’kirkkoherra’. My name is Seppo Ojala.
What differs Lutheran Church from Catholic?
There are a
few differences. We have two sacraments, catholics seven. They have pope and
cardinals, we have bishops. In the Catholic church there is a strict hierarcy,
in our church the parish is quite independent. There are also differences in
faith and in the attitudes towards interpreting Bible and tradition.
Who contributed to found Lutheran Church and what is the reason of its development?
Martti Luther,
a German monk and priest wanted to clean the Catholic church and faith from the
traditional bourdons, that were strange to the Bible. He had a great quarrel
with pope and that’s why he and his friends were separated and left the Catholic
church and founded the protestant church.
What are the main points in decorations of The Old Church ?
What involves priesthood in Lutheran church and what are the differences from the Catholic Church?
(What are your duties?)
The bishop
gives the ordination and the parish calls or chooses the priest. I make
sermons, baptize, teach, visit the families and take care of the people, who
need help. I also do the governing jobs. Parish leader has all kinds of work to
do.
Do the Lutherans celebrate religious festivals as the Catholics?
We don’t
really have festivals or carnivals. We celebrate the religious times as
Christmas by sermons and happenings.
Are there any differences between Lutheran and Catholic christening?
The Bible is
very important. It’s everyway in our actions. We like a very simple Christian
faith. We don’t show it very much. It’s like a heart faith. Finnish Lutheran
faith is important in the persons inside life and in the family connections and
manners as in celebrating baptizing and confirmation.
Thanks for your answer
Jitka Stráská, Alena Hanzlová
