Malax Church

In 1806, Malax parish received a letter from the Turku Diocese Chapter urging the parish assembly to negotiate the construction of a new church. An inspector had noted concerns about the structural integrity of the church built in 1659, stating it was too small and accommodating only 742 residents out of the approximately 1620 inhabitants. It was decided to establish a building fund, and the matter was postponed until 1817. At that time, it was decided that a new church and cemetery would be built on Mattlar Hill, which was unsuitable for cultivation. The parish priest was tasked with acquiring the new church’s drawings. Another 11 years passed before the foundations were laid in 1828. Master builder Henrik Kuorikoski was entrusted with constructing the new church based on Charles Bass’s drawings. Once the decision for a wooden church was made, the people of Malax swiftly built their third church from April 7 to July 25, 1829, holding the first service on July 19.

Sources: Klockars Johannes, Boken om Malax. Complemented by Klockars Anders. Ab Frams tryckeri, Vaasa 1961. Smeds Helmer, Malaxbygden. Ernst Ingelius Boktryckeri, Helsinki 1935. Malax socken - Malax församling, Various protocols and other documents stored in the archives in Petalax and Malax Museiförening.