The Chapel of Saint Birgitta in Uusikirkko Kaukjärvi Piretanniemi



The easternmost chapel in medieval Sweden dedicated to Saint Birgitta/Bridget was located in Uusikirkko (sw. Nykyrka) parish, Karelian Isthmus, in the area that was later ceded from Finland to the Soviet Union in 1940. The early stages of the chapel are unknown. However, it was probably established during the Middle Ages, at the latest in the beginning of the 1500's. According to the written sources the last phases of the use are better known. The wooden chapel in the Piretanniemi cape was abandoned in the beginning of the 1780's. At the same time the use of the surrounding cemetery was prohibited. The existence of the chapel and cemetery was almost completely forgotten during the 19th century. However there are plenty of legends and mixed oral traditions connected to this place. Bones have also been found in the area, the last of them in the first part of the 1900's when the foundations of a sawmill were dug. During the survey in 2011 a stone structure possibly related to the chapel was

found.