In Scandinavia and Finland, nearly all constructions, including monumental and sacral
architecture, used only timber until the 11th century. In Finland, timber remained the
dominant construction material until the 19th century. Due to many fires, wars, and
other catastrophic events, the number of still-standing wooden buildings and constructions
erected before industrialization is very limited. Medieval wooden buildings
can only be found in archaeological excavations, and the last remaining medieval
load-bearing wooden structures are preserved in the medieval stone churches. While
medieval roof constructions have been widely researched elsewhere in Europe, a comprehensive
understanding of medieval roof constructions in Finland is largely lacking.
This article presents an ongoing study of roof structures in Finnish medieval stone
churches, focusing on two churches, Pernaja and Hammarland, which provide evidence
of the transition from tie beam roof trusses to roof trusses without a tie beam.
We examine the typology of the trusses, and present new results based on a comparison
of the churches and dendrochronological analyses. Finally, we discuss possible
explanations for the structural innovations and the emergence of the roof truss without
a tie beam in a wider cultural context.