Pages: 261-270

The cultural heritage object of the 15th to 18th centuries “Church of St. Mary and St. Joseph and St. Olaf and the Clock Tower” is situated in the central part of Vyborg. Modern researchers date the construction of this stone temple to the first half of the 15th century. The church itself, which presumably was initially wooden, is first mentioned in a document of 1403 kept in the archives of Vatican. During the period of the temple’s existence, it was repeatedly reconstructed. By now, only its external walls have survived.
Archaeological excavations at this site were conducted in 1886, 1913 and 1985—1991. The main phases of its construction were defined and the related architectural remains investigated. However, such problems as the time of the construction of the first stone church, identification and dates of all the reconstructions still are unsolved.
In 2010—2012, we carried out architectural measurements of this monument and archaeological excavations on its external southern side and inside the cathedral near its northern stone wall limiting the initial medieval space of the 15th century church. These investigations have resulted in definition of exact and reliable picture of the condition of the surviving walls of the edifice, identification of previously unknown reconstructions of different dates and traces of repairs on the walls. In addition, a three-dimensional model has been built of the ruins of the cathedral and the Clock Tower constituting a single complex with the latter.

Keywords: Russia, Finland, Vyborg, medieval cathedral, archaeological-architectural research

Information about author:

Aleksandr Saksa (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Doctor of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Nab., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]