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Pulpits

Embark on a visual exploration of the eloquent pulpits gracing Siuntio Church, each telling a story of faith, craftsmanship, and historical significance.

The Tott Pulpit

When Åke Tott was admitted to the newly founded Swedish House of Nobility in Sjundby in 1625, he donated a richly decorated pulpit, crafted in pine and birch, to Siuntio Church. The pulpit has three panels. In the first, there is a coat of arms with a crescent moon and the inscription "Former Queen in the Kingdom of Sweden, Lady Karin Månsdotter." The coat of arms in the second panel is the Tott family crest with the text "Henrich Clas Son Tott." The third panel displays the Vasa coat of arms with the text "Lady Siredh Eric's Daughter." Above the four panels, the text reads: "Henrichsons Totts Fyra Aaner," i.e., Åke Henriksson Tott's four family ancestors: grandmother Queen Karin Månsdotter, grandfather Henrik Claesson Tott, and maternal grandfather King Eric XIV. The fourth panel, which has not been preserved, most likely had the Horn af Kanckas coat of arms, representing Åke Henriksson Tott's grandmother, Kirstin Henriksdotter of the Horn af Kancka family.

The pulpit door is adorned with fittings, paintings, and the inscription:

May the Lord Guard Your Entrance and Exit Now and for Eternity. Amen. Vespera iam venit Nobiscum Hriste maneto.

The Latin text means: "The evening has already come, stay with us, Christ." On the door mirror, the image of Saint Peter has been painted.

When Baron Ernst Johan Creutz, the president of the appellate court in Turku, donated a new pulpit to Siuntio in 1683, the Tott pulpit was moved to a wooden church next to the stone church.

The New Pulpit

The new pulpit is a replica of a pulpit that existed in Turku Cathedral until the Turku fire of 1681. The Siuntio replica was crafted by the master carpenter Henrik Mattsson Leino and the master sculptor Matts Reiman. This pulpit was originally located in Turku Cathedral. It was reported that this pulpit was saved from the fire by being carried out onto the street.

The pulpit is adorned with images of the apostles. Among them is the church's patron saint, St. Peter, holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The pulpit is supported by St. Christopher, the Christ-bearer. On the pulpit's ceiling, the symbol of the Savior, a golden pelican sacrificing its blood to feed its young, can be seen.

Originally, this pulpit was placed next to the church's central pillar on the northern side. It had been there since 1689. Under the base of the canopy, it is inscribed "I: M: 1755 in July," along with a note stating, "This pulpit is painted and gilded in the year 1857 at the expense of Munck's stable manager Israel Sundmark."

The old pulpit of St. Peter's Church in Siuntio, called even Karin Månsdotter's pulpit or Tott's pulpit.
The Tott Pulpit displayed on the wall.
The new pulpit of St. Peter's Church in Siuntio, Finland. The pulpit is adorned with sculptures of saints.
The New Pulpit.