Grotenfelt Family Burial Chapel in Joroinen
The tradition of burial under church floors was prohibited in Finland by a Royal decree in 1774. In 1776, the Grotenfelt family then decided to build a burial chapel next to the village church in Joroinen, located in the Savo region of south eastern Finland. The Chapel itself is unique and is the only remaining wooden 18th century family chapel in Finland. A Swedish artist was employed to decorate the inside of the chapel.All the chapel walls and the ceiling were decorated with paintings of trees, plants, berries and biblical texts. As the building was built of logs, the space between the logs was covered by strips of paper which were fastened with wooden plugs. Artists executed an arduous restoration job during three summers that required them to carefully restore the paintings while simultaneously fastening strips of handmade rag paper.
The tradition of burial under church floors was prohibited in Finland by a Royal decree in 1774. In 1776, the Grotenfelt family then decided to build a burial chapel next to the village church in Joroinen, located in the Savo region of south eastern Finland. The Chapel itself is unique and is the only remaining wooden 18th century family chapel in Finland. A Swedish artist was employed to decorate the inside of the chapel. All the chapel walls and the ceiling were decorated with paintings of trees, plants, berries and biblical texts. As the building was built of logs, the space between the logs was covered by strips of paper which were fastened with wooden plugs. Artists executed an arduous restoration job during three summers that required them to carefully restore the paintings while simultaneously fastening strips of handmade rag paper.
“The restoration of the burial chapel wall paintings was executed in a holistic way, starting with a thorough research phase followed by a delicate, sustainable and skilful implementation. The Jury finds this conservation work a remarkable model of a private initiative designed to raise local awareness and to preserve European cultural heritage.”