Around Satakunta: Following the Legend of Saint Henry

When visiting Satakunta for a bit longer time, there’s one figure that can’t be avoided – Lalli. This character from stories and legends has influenced names of sports teams, buildings, natural sites and even a newspaper – his axe is even featured on the coat of arms of Köyliö. With a superstar of this caliber around, one should not miss his story and rather follow the events of the Legend of Saint Henry.

Approaching Kirkkokari Island on boat.

The tale of St. Henry and Lalli originates from a Catholic legend and a Finnish poem, which differ a bit from each other. But to summarize it briefly, St. Henry was an English clergyman, who served in the Kingdom of Sweden in the 12th century and was sent to Finland to organize church affairs. One day in the middle of the winter, he visited a certain manor while on his journeys alone. After leaving, Lalli, the owner of the manor arrived and was lied by his wife that the bishop had taken food, cake and beer without permission. Enraged Lalli then skid after the bishop and killed him on the ice of Lake Köyliöjärvi. Due to his deed, Lalli was doomed to a miserable death.

While the story might sounds quite gruesome and Lalli the clear villain, it has more layers than it appears. To many Finns Lalli has always represented the local man – a true Finn – while the bishop was seen as one of the foreign invaders. When Finns got to vote for the “Great Finns” in 2004, Lalli surprised many by taking the 14th place well ahead of many beloved authors, painters and sportsmen. In Satakunta, and especially in Köyliö region, the name of Lalli lives strong.

There are quite a few places to visit when following the events of the story and one might even want to follow the whole Saint Henry’s Way, which is a pilgrim path starting from Turku and finishing in Kokemäki. However, if you’re interested in a bit shorter path, here’s what I would suggest!

St. Henry's Chapel

Good place to start your path is St. Henry’s Chapel in Kokemäki. According to legends, this was the place where St. Henry spent his last night at the granary, before continuing his way to Lalli’s house and his eventual death. Afterwards the small wooden building was converted into a chapel, of which some of the wooden logs still exists and are protected by a 19th century brick building.

Address: Risteentie 38, Kokemäki
ETRS-TM35FIN: 6800271, 251766

The site has a parking area, information plaques about the site and a beautiful view over Kokemäenjoki River. While at the site, pay attention to your surroundings as well, as under the field supposedly lies the Iron Age market place of Teljä.

Lalli's House

Continuing south is the site that’s called Lalli’s House, where Lalli was told to be hiding after his murderous act. It’s in forest by a small stream called Lalli's Stream (Lallin puro), which can be crossed by a small wooden bridge. There are remains of some form of a stone construction, but no one has researched the site any further to determine it’s original nature.

Address: Ilmilinnantie 2, Kokemäki (afterwards follow signs)
ETRS-TM35FIN: 6794548, 244643

The site can be reached with a car, by driving Köyliöntie until Ilmilinnantie crossroad and following the signs (Lallin asumus). The car can be easily left along the wide forest road near the site itself. There’s an information plaque about the site in Finnish.

Kirkkokari Island

Kirkkokari, sometimes also called Saint Henry’s Island, is a small island, near which St. Henry was told to be murdered on ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi. Since the 13th century, it has been a pilgrimage site for Catholics and a small chapel was built on the island. Nowadays, the island still has the remains of the chapel, but there’s also a memorial stone and altar from the 20th century.

Address: Pyhän Henrikintie 1040, Köyliö
Follow the signs to a parking area and walk rest of the way to Kirkkoniemi shore, where you can find information plaques about the site and a rowing boat, which is free to use as long as you make sure to tie it safely after use. The island itself is only 200 meters away, so take it slow and enjoy the beautiful scenery while you're on the open lake!

Saint Henry and Lalli - heroes of their own stories.

After rowing the boat and walking in the woods, it might be a nice time to get some ice cream or a refreshing drink, so feel free to head to the center of Köyliö. While there, don't miss the statue of Lalli (Kirkkosaarentie 1), who is armed and ready for his next adventure! If you still have energy, you can find your own extension to the route by following the birch alley towards east, where you can find the beautiful wooden church of Köyliö.

The route through all the sites from the chapel to the statue of Lalli is around 50 kilometers and visiting all sites shouldn't take much longer than two hours depending on how fast of a rower you are!