On 17 June 1300, or close to it, the new cathedral on Unikankare hill is consecrated. The bishop leaves Koroinen and moves into town. For the next 250 years this church is the centre of a diocese that covers all of Finland.
The bishop moves to town
- Consecration. The traditional date is 17 June 1300. The parish itself calls it an estimate: we do not know the day for certain. The consecrating bishop was Magnus I, the first Finn known to hold the office Likely.
- St Henry moves in. On 18 June, the day after, the relics of St Henry were carried in from Nousiainen. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St Henry Likely.
- Why here? The hill of Unikankare stood in the middle of the new market town. Koroinen was left on the edge, while bishop, castle and town were now within reach of each other.
- What did it look like? Much smaller than today. Its east end stood about where the pulpit is now. Whether it was already of grey stone and brick or still partly wooden is debated Debated.
Fire, and a great builder
- 1318. The parish history says the cathedral burned when Novgorodian raiders attacked Turku. Other accounts mention only the town’s outskirts and the bishop’s manor at Kuusisto. That is the next stop Debated.
- Bishop Hemming (1338–1366) rebuilt on a grand scale. He had the nave vaulted in stone and brick, added a five-sided choir, two porches, a sacristy and a low west tower Well documented.
- The 1400s. Rich families, guilds and bishops paid for side chapels. By about 1500 the vaults had been raised to 24 metres, and the church held around 42 altars Likely.
- A local saint. Hemming was declared blessed in 1514. The feast to move his remains was a big event for a town still rebuilding after the Danish attack of 1509 (stop 11) Well documented.
More than a church
- The diocese of Turku covered all of Finland until 1554. From here the bishop ran parishes from the Åland Islands to Karelia Well documented.
- The cathedral chapter, a group of priests called canons, ran the church, kept records and trained new clergy.
- The cathedral school taught boys Latin, singing and religion. The school that carries its tradition, Katedralskolan i Åbo, celebrated 750 years in 2026, which puts its roots around 1276 Likely. We return to it at stop 10.
How do we know?
Much of what we know comes from reading the building: brick sizes, joints in the masonry and changes in the vaults show which parts are older. The written record is thin. Many early documents were lost in 1318, and much more burned in the Great Fire of 1827. That is why the parish gives the consecration day as an estimate.