Help for Research
Many books and publications have been written about the Cathedral. It is worth noting, however, that there are several different interpretations—especially regarding the Cathedral’s construction history. The views of different researchers may therefore differ considerably. This page provides information about source literature and links to various materials.
Source Literature on Turku Cathedral
A great deal of literature has been published over the decades about Turku Cathedral and its surroundings. Below is a selection of works that can offer new perspectives on the Cathedral’s history—for researchers, thesis writers, and anyone interested in the subject. The books are mostly in Finnish.
Arkkitehdit Freese & Schulman:Turun tuomiokirkko – Sisätilojen rakennushistoriaselvitys, Turun ja Kaarinan srk-yhtymä 2023
Savolainen, Panu: Matkaopas 1700-luvun Turkuun, Sammakko 2021
Toropainen, Veli Pekka: 39 tarinaa 1600-luvun turkulaisnaisista, Turun museokeskus 2019
Aalto / Helkala: Matkaopas keskiajan Suomeen, Atena 2019
Hiekkanen, Markus: Suomen keskiajan kivikirkot (täydennetty painos), SKS 2018
Issakainen / Jakonen / Kaisti / Kiiski: Turun tuomiokirkko – Opas seitsemään vuosisataan, Kirjapaja 2017
Kaisti, Riikka: Turun tuomiokirkko – Rakkaudella rakennettu. Turun ja Kaarinan seurakuntayhtymä 2017
Niitemaa, Timo: Itämaan muisti – Turun tuomiokirkon tarinoita Ruotsin vallan aikaan, Kirjapaja 2017
Kaartinen / Välimäki / Räsänen (toim.): Turun tuomiokirkon suojissa – pohjoinen hiippakuntakeskus keskiajan ja uuden ajan alun Euroopassa. Historia mirabilis 8. Turun historiallinen yhdistys 2012. Articles available as downloadable PDFs on the page. Turun tuomiokirkon suojissa. Pohjoinen hiippakuntakeskus keskiajan ja uuden ajan alun Euroopassa – Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys (thy.fi)Linkki avautuu uudessa välilehdessä
Heikkilä / Suvikumpu: Pyhimyksiä ja paanukattoja, Kirjapaja 2009
Heikkilä, Tuomas: Pyhän Henrikin legenda, Karisto 2005
Hiekkanen, Markus: Suomen kivikirkot keskiajalla, Otava 2003
Gardberg / Heininen / Welin: Turun tuomiokirkko 1300-2000, Tammi 2000
Kanerva, Welin: Turun tuomiokirkko – Åbo domkyrka, Weilin+Göös 1987
Juslenius, Daniel: Vanha ja uusi Turku (Uusintapainos vuoden 1700 julkaisusta), SKS 1987
Raustela, Lasse: Turkulaisen käsityön ja teollisuuden vaiheita, Polytypos 1968
Rinne, Juhani: Turun tuomiokirkko keskiaikana I-III, Uuden Auran Osakeyhtiön kirjapaino 1941-1952
Haavio, Martti: Piispa Henrik ja Lalli, WSOY 1948
Ikonen, Väinö: Vanhaa Suomen Turkua, WSOY 1936
Rinne, Juhani: Pyhä Henrik – piispa ja marttyyri, Otava 1932
Finnberg, Julius: Turun tuomiokirkko 1229-1929, Otava 1929
Turun historiallisen yhdistyksen julkaisuja III: Turun tuomiokirkon historiaa, Uuden Auran Osakeyhtiön kirjapaino 1929
Lindman, Adolf: Anteckningar om Åbo domkyrka, 1869
The Black Book of Turku Cathedral, Registrum ecclesiae Aboensis, is the most important source for the Middle Ages in Finland. It contains medieval documents dating from 1229 to 1515. The Documents of Medieval Finland also include a wealth of preserved material from the medieval period. Both source collections have been digitized, and they—along with many other materials—can be downloaded from the National Archives’ Diplomatarium Fennicum service.
Go to the Diplomatarium Fennicum service via this link.
Links to research and articles
Gerard T. Barrett, Kerry Allen, Paula J. Reimer, Åsa Ringbom, Jesper Olsen, Alf Lindroos: Ramped pyrolysis radiocarbon dating of lime lumps: Establishing the earliest mortar-based construction phase of Turku cathedral, Finland Limestone research, including studies on the dating of the sacristy. Journal of Cultural Heritage 61 (2023).
Visa Immonen, Tanja Ratilainen, Jussi Kinnunen, Kari O. Eskola & Markku Oinonen: The construction date of the Dominican Convent of St Olaf in Turku, Finland – A re-evaluation Dating of bricks from the medieval Dominican convent located on Kaskenmäki in Turku. Fennoscandia archaeologica XXXIX: 118–138 (2022).
Reima Välimäki, Kirsi Salonen: The materiality of Turku Cathedral’s spiritual treasury: indulgences Research on indulgences associated with the Cathedral in the Middle Ages. Material Religion, The Journal of Objects, Art and Belief. Vol. 18 Issue 5 (2022).
Maria Kallio-Hirvonen: Käsikirjoitustutkimus, kopiokirjat ja kopiokirjojen tehtävä Turun keskiaikaisessa tuomiokapitulissa. Turun yliopisto, 2021. Research on the copying and use of books employed by the Cathedral chapter in Turku during the Middle Ages (e.g. the Black Book of Turku Cathedral).
Aki Arponen, Heli Maijanen, Visa Immonen: From Bones to Sacred Artefact: The Late Medieval Skull Relic of Turku Cathedral, Finland. Temenos, Vol. 54 No 2 (2018). New research on the head-shaped reliquary, previously interpreted as the reliquary of Saint Eric. (Click the PDF button to download the file.)
Nilsson, Bertil: Några anteckningar till frågan om Åbo domkyrkas invigning. Historisk Tidskrift för Finland, 2018. Dating the actual consecration date of the Cathedral. (Click the PDF button to download the file.)
Jussi-Pekka Taavitsainen, Markku J. Oinonen & Göran Possnert: The Turku Cathedral Relics Revisited and Anonymous Relics dated to the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries. Mirator 16:2/2015. Dating of the Cathedral’s relics.
Aki Arponen: The Medieval Skull Relic of Turku Cathedral. Mirator 16:1/2015. New research on the head-shaped reliquary, previously interpreted as the reliquary of Saint Eric.
Joonatan Kutilainen: Turun tuomiokirkon keskiaikaisten rauta-aitojen rakenne ja valmistusmenetelmät. Kymenlaakson ammattikorkeakoulu 2013.
Mira Karttila: Birgitan kalotti – Keskiaikaisen relikvaarion konservointi. Metropolia ammattikorkeakoulu 2012. A thesis on the conservation of the reliquary casket interpreted as the skull of Saint Bridget.
Tuija Tuhkanen: Turun tuomiokirkon tuhoutuneet saarnatuolit. Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys 2012.
Alf Lindroos, Lior Regev, Markku Oinonen, Åsa Ringbom & Jan Heinemeier: 14C Dating of Fire-damaged Mortars from Medieval Finland. Radiocarbon dating of the walls of the Cathedral and other medieval churches. 2012.
Knut Drake: Dateringsproblem i Åbo domkyrka. SKAS 3/2011. Clarifying the construction history of the Cathedral and examining the sources.
Kari A. Kinnunen, Marja Lehtonen: Turun tuomiokirkon keskiaikaisen pyhäinjäännöskokoelman reliikkikivien laboratoriotutkimus. Geologian tutkimuskeskuksen tutkimuslaboratorio, 2010. Laboratory research on the Gethsemane stones from the Cathedral, displayed in the National Museum’s exhibition “Toista maata”.
Knut Drake: Kalkstenskonsolerna i Åbo domkyrkas sakristia. Hikuin 36, 2009. Examination of the limestone corbels in the Cathedral’s sacristy. (Click the PDF button to download the file.)
Aki Pihlman & Kirsi Majantie: Varhainen Turku -hanke ja kaivaukset tuomiokirkon vieressä. SKAS 2/2007. Presentation and interpretation of the archaeological excavations at Cathedral Square.
Knut Drake: Åbo domkyrkas första murade sakristia. Hikuin 33, 2006. New interpretation of the masonry above the sacristy door in the Cathedral. (Click the PDF button to download the file.)
Knut Drake: Åbo domkyrka – ett fält för fortsatt forskning. Hikuin 30, 2003. Critical examination of previous research on the Cathedral. (Click the PDF button to download the file.)
Sofia Lahti: Capse pro reliquiis – Turun tuomiokirkon reliikit ja relikvaariot. Mirator, marraskuu 2003. Examination of the Cathedral’s relics.
For Genealogists
It is estimated that around 4,500 people have been buried beneath the floor of the Cathedral. Burial inside the church ceased at the end of the 18th century, but the graves still remain beneath the building. Many of the graves were family graves, and several families could be buried in the same one. Today, about 90 grave slabs can be seen in the floor, marking the locations of these graves. The map shows the positions of the graves whose markers have been preserved.
Account books of Turku Cathedral, 1634–1735
Accounting records were also carefully kept in Turku Cathedral regarding income and expenses. For genealogists, the surviving burial records are of particular interest. The names of those buried, the graves, and their locations are documented in the catalog-like accounting series Åbo domkyrkas räkenskaper (Accounts of Turku Cathedral), which can be downloaded below.
These PDF files are intended for research use only.