What is "kirkkokari"

Kirkkokari ("the Church Islet", also known as Saint Henry's Island) is a small island in Lake Köyliö in Köyliö municipality, Satakunta, Finland. It is the only Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in Finland and one of the few in Nordic countries.

According to tradition, Saint Henry was murdered on the ice of Lake Köyliö by the Kirkkokari island in the winter of 1156. Since the 13th century it was a pilgrimage site for Catholics. A small chapel was built on the island which was used until the 18th century. Foundations of the chapel are still visible. In 1955 the memorial of Christianization of Finland was erected in Kirkkokari and a small altar, "Saint Henry's altar", in 1999.

The Finnish Roman Catholic Church organizes an annual pilgrimage to Kirkkokari via the Saint Henry's Way. The 140-kilometre-long journey starts from the city of Turku. It ends on a memorial service in Kirkkokari on the last pre-Midsummer Sunday.