Church of Rymättylä

Rymättylä Church is dedicated to the memory of St. Jacob the Elder, Apostle. The oldest part of the church is the vestry, which dates from the early 14th century – when the church itself was made of wood. The stone church was built in the late 1300s or the early 1400s. There are three sculptures depicting St. Jacob’s pilgrimage in the church. The oldest sculpture, preserved with original colours, is a fine wood carving from the 1350s known as “Smiling Jacob from Rymättylä”. The paintings date from the 1520s and are the last ones to have been made in the Medieval period in Finland. The granite Church of St. Jacob is right in the centre of the village, close to the sculpture of the seine-fisher. In summer the church operates as a road church and is open from June to July after church service until 1pm.