Shingle carvers
Funded by Euregio Karelia Neighbourhood Programme 2001-2006

Objective of the project

The idea behind the project was to deepen the professional knowledge of restorers in the maintenance and repair of shingled roofs by implementing the restoration work on the shingled roof of the belfry of the Kesälahti church and the associated restoration course.

Main activities

• Organisation of a course for shingled roof with the School of Architecture and Environmental Culture Lastu. • Implementation of the restoration, confirming the age of the shingles • Implementing a traveling exhibition, • Organisation of an international shingled roof seminar.

Achievements

The course for shingled roof carvers was organised jointly with the School of Architecture and Environmental Culture Lastu. Two of the trained shingled roof carvers completed the occupational examination of a restoration journeyman. One of the shingled roof carvers, who already had the title of a restoration journeyman, completed parts of the special occupational examination of a restoration master. The evangelical-Lutheran parish of Kesälahti hired all four trained shingled roof carvers to complete a separate renovation project of the Kesälahti belfry. One of the trained shingled roof carvers was also elected to manage the restoration of a similar shingled roof belfry of the parish of Sääminki in Savonlinna, and one of the shingled roof carvers started his own restoration business, PuuTimo, in Kitee. The age of the shingles of Kesälahti was confirmed with a dendrochronological examination, carried out by the researchers of Forest Research Institute KRC from Petrozavodsk. The shingled roof turned out to be the same age as the belfry, 170 years. The restoration of the Kesälahti belfry was reproduced in a travelling exhibition, which was first displayed in Kesälahti in the international shingled roof seminar. Thereafter, the exhibition was on display in Tornio, Petrozavodsk, Savonlinna, Otaniemi and Rauma. The project was also responsible for an international shingled roof seminar in Kesälahti. In addition to Finnish specialists, the participants of the seminar included representatives from the Governmental Cultural Protection Centre of the Republic of Karelia and the Museum of North Ladoga. The planned publication about the history of the Kesälahti belfry was not completed during the project, but it was intended that it should be finished by the end of 2008, with a separate grant from the Environment Centre. The project also made the cooperation between the authorities of the Republic of Karelia and North Karelia, responsible for constructed cultural environments, remarkably fluent.