Following the fire that destroyed the Hietamiemi wooden church in the autumn of 2023, the site has been the subject of extensive archaeological investigations. These have provided a unique insight into church construction and burial rituals in the Tornedalen region during the 1600th and 1700th centuries.
As the Övertorneå parish has plans to build a new church on the same site as the burned-down one, archaeologists at the State Historical Museums have conducted archaeological investigations at the site during the summer and autumn of 2025, in collaboration with archaeologists from the Norrbotten Museum.
The investigations have resulted in extensive and multifaceted material that, through continued analysis, will contribute to increased knowledge of the history of the Tornedalen valley during the 1600th and 1700th centuries. The results include documentation of approximately 20 burial chambers, approximately 30 intact graves, and a significant number of disturbed graves.
In this talk, Annika Nordström, project manager at the State Historical Museums, will present the preliminary results from the survey.
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People's House Övertorneå,
Industrivägen 3, Övertorneå
Free
