Tottijärvi Church

The wooden church of Tottijärvi was completed in 1841 and consecrated on January 1, 1842. Its design came from the Office of the Intendant, then led by Carl Ludvig Engel, while architects Arppe and Gustavsson handled the actual planning. Construction originally began in 1833 without drawings, but was halted by the Emperor. Work resumed three years later, after Engel prepared plans that were eventually realised as a mirror image.

The old Tottijärvi church, built in 1694 and dismantled in 1848, once stood as a low wing beside the current belfry. The wooden bell tower, built in 1773 by Mikko Lajander, still stands on the churchyard. Its bell, donated by Gabriel Kurki in 1703, is the oldest church bell still in use in Nokia. According to tradition, the tolling of the bell still announces the age of the deceased: the larger bell sounds for each decade, and the smaller bell for the remaining years.

The churchyard also includes the cemetery and a parish hall built in the 1970s. The organ loft was added in 1896. The current 10-stop organ, built at the Kangasala Organ Factory in 1964, is the church’s second. The altarpiece, The Saviour with His Disciples at the Last Supper, dates from 1854 and was painted by Carl Fredrik Blom.

Today, Tottijärvi Church hosts regular services and other parish activities. The venue can also be rented for church ceremonies and seats up to 380 people.