Welcome to the Lohtaja vicarage

 

 

The present Lohtaja vicarage from the early 1800s has been a central place in the history of the region. Over the centuries, it has been a religious as well as a cultural centre. It is located along the old Bothnian Coast Road. Already in the time when Finland was part of the Swedish Empire, this important cavalry and post road led from Finland Proper (in the south-west part of Finland) to Tornio and even to Stockholm.

The Lohtaja vicarage is also known as the Saukko vicarage because they say there were lots of otters on the shore of Pappilanlahti bay. The bay no longer exists, but you can see it on old maps and imagine it as part of the present vicarage setting.

Entrance to the well-maintained vicarage yard, which used to be a closed yard, is through a two-storey granary (luhti) from the mid-1700s. The vicarage cellar is much older than the main building itself – as far as is known, originally from the 1600s. Sweden and Russia signed an armistice agreement in the vicarage in 1808, which is commemorated by a brass plaque on the wall of the vicarage. One of the rooms has been preserved the way it was in the 1800s and named ‘the Klingspor chamber’ in memory of the armistice.

Today the vicarage hosts the Lohtaja parish office and employees’ offices, and children’s day clubs, youth evenings and other parish events are organised there. In the summer, during the Lohtaja Church Music Festival, visitors are offered an art exhibition as well as coffee with pastries at the Ruustinnan kahvipöytä. On agreement, the vicarage is open for visitors at other times as well. Small-scale concerts and parties with coffee or meal services can also be organised in the vicarage.

Welcome to the Lohtaja vicarage!