Pirunkirkko

Devil’s Church

Useful Information

Location:	Rantatie (Koli) 115, 83960 Koli. At Rantatie Road, 12 km south of Koli. In Kolin kansallispuisto (Koli National Park). (63.0441758, 29.9182994)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Neotectonic Caves
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=33 m.
Guided tours:	n/a
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	not accessible
Bibliography:
Address:	Pirunkirkko, Rantatie, Koli National Park 83960, Tel: +358-20-6395654, E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1893	poem first written on the wall.
1939	poem writing restored.

Description

Pirunkirkko (Devil’s Church) is 33 m long cave shaped like Z. It is connected with various local legends, one telling that the devil has its temple at the far end was the one which is the reason for its name. The cave was obviously not entered by the locals, out of fear from the devil. Later it became a quite popular destination and was visited by naturalists and poets. The most famous visitor was the Finnish artist Eero Järnefelt, a man of local fame. But he is said to have written a poem which was written on the wall of the cave.

One secret, one spirt
One happiness for both of us
The sacred glory of this church
We shall remember forever.

The cave is part of the Koli National Park and well developed. There is a car park on the road, signs, a good trail and an iron staircase leading down into the cave. Still, it may be visited freely, it is not a show cave. The official name is Lohkareluola Pirunkirkko (Devil’s Church Boulder Cave), lohkareluola is the Finish name for talus cave. While the cave is actually of this type, we classified it as a neotectonic cave, which is a subset.