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RELIGION – faith and hope
T
he religion theme introduces all the church neighbourhoods of historical Central Ostrobothnia, as well as some old, mainly coastal parsonages that are still in use. The idea and history of religion is naturally not connected to these destinations only, but their environments fascinate us with their aesthetic character and long-lasting architectural continuum. Relatively few relics of older building culture have been preserved in Finland, which is why the development of building culture is best visible exactly in churches – from the later Middle Ages to the present. In addition to clergymen and -women, church history has been created by self-taught masters. In Central Ostrobothnia these include, among others, the Kuorikoskis, Biskop, Rijf, Honka and Karjalahti. One should not forget the church items, church paintings and bell towers, either. The carved, wooden ‘poor man statues’ (vaivaisukko in Finnish) placed outside of several Finnish churches represent an early form of poor relief. They are sympathetic manifestations