Revealing the Innovations in Late Medieval Roof Structures of Finland

Abstract

<p>In Scandinavia and Finland, nearly all constructions, including monumental and sacral<br>architecture, used only timber until the 11th century. In Finland, timber remained the<br>dominant construction material until the 19th century. Due to many fires, wars, and<br>other catastrophic events, the number of still-standing wooden buildings and constructions<br>erected before industrialization is very limited. Medieval wooden buildings<br>can only be found in archaeological excavations, and the last remaining medieval<br>load-bearing wooden structures are preserved in the medieval stone churches. While<br>medieval roof constructions have been widely researched elsewhere in Europe, a comprehensive<br>understanding of medieval roof constructions in Finland is largely lacking.<br>This article presents an ongoing study of roof structures in Finnish medieval stone<br>churches, focusing on two churches, Pernaja and Hammarland, which provide evidence<br>of the transition from tie beam roof trusses to roof trusses without a tie beam.<br>We examine the typology of the trusses, and present new results based on a comparison<br>of the churches and dendrochronological analyses. Finally, we discuss possible<br>explanations for the structural innovations and the emergence of the roof truss without<br>a tie beam in a wider cultural context.<br></p>