Bishop Magnus Tavast and the power of the Church

From 1412 to 1450 one man leads the Church in all of Finland. Bishop Magnus Tavast builds, founds a convent, holds a castle and travels to the Holy Land.

Late Middle Ages · Gothic

The big story

A bishop who was also a lord

For almost four decades, from 1412 to 1450, Magnus Tavast was bishop of Turku. He built, founded a convent, held a castle and sat among the great men of the realm. An encyclopedia of 1909 calls him “the most important prince of the Church of Finland”.

One bishop for all of Finland

One diocese. In the Middle Ages all of Finland was a single diocese, with its seat at Turku Cathedral. A second diocese, at Viipuri, was created only in 1554 Well documented.
A noble son. Magnus Olai Tavast was born around 1370 at Mynämäki, north of Turku, into the noble Tavast family Likely.
Bishop for 37 years. He was appointed bishop on 21 October 1412 and resigned in February 1450, at about eighty Well documented.
Not alone. A bishop governed together with the cathedral chapter, the senior priests of the Cathedral, and through hundreds of parish priests across the country Likely.

Where his power came from

Land. The bishop had his own estates, in Finnish piispanpöytä, “the bishop’s table”. Their rents fed him and his household Well documented.
Church taxes. Part of the church taxes, such as the tithe, in principle a tenth of the harvest, also went to the bishop Likely.
A castle. Kuusisto, on an island east of Turku, was the bishops’ castle. It had its golden age under Tavast Likely.
A seat at the top. Bishops sat in the Council of the Realm, which advised the king and governed when there was none. The bishop of Turku was one of the most powerful men in the kingdom Likely.

What he built and founded

The Tavast Chapel. In the Cathedral he founded a chapel. Its iron screen carries the words “In the year of the Lord 1425 Bishop Magnus Olai had this work made”. It is the oldest dated work of art in Finland Well documented.
Treasures. He acquired relics and costly objects for the Cathedral Well documented.
A convent at Naantali. In 1438 the Council of the Realm decided to found a convent of St Bridget’s order in Finland. In 1443 King Christopher confirmed its site by the sea at Naantali, and in 1462 it was consecrated Well documented. Tavast is usually named as the driving force behind it Likely.
Nuns and monks. The order of St Bridget of Sweden had nuns and monks in the same convent, in separate parts. Its mother house was Vadstena in Sweden Well documented.
The end. Tavast spent his last years at Naantali. He died there on 9 March 1452 and was buried in Turku Cathedral Well documented.

How do we know?

Tavast’s own work still speaks: the iron screen with his name and the year 1425 hangs in the Cathedral. His dates come from church records and letters. Some books and websites say more about him, for example that he studied in Prague or served at the king’s court. We could not check those claims against reliable sources, so we have left them out.

Pick a year, or click a place on the map.

Bishop Tavast’s world. Pick a year or click a place.Schematic map: the coastline and islands are simplified.

Why it matters

Tavast’s time shows how much of Finland’s wealth, building and learning ran through the Church. Less than a century later the Reformation turned that around (stop 12). In 1528 King Gustav I ordered Kuusisto Castle to be pulled down, and the convent at Naantali slowly faded away. Its church still stands by the harbour.

On the lighter side

From Turku to Jerusalem

Bishop Tavast is said to have travelled all the way to the Holy Land. We do not know when or by which road. But we do know how such journeys usually went in the 1400s.

Why go? Pilgrims went mainly for the good of their souls. Praying at the holy places earned indulgences, which the Church taught would shorten a soul’s time in purgatory Well documented.
Who went? Most pilgrims to Jerusalem were nobles. Women went too, though they were only tolerated as long as they kept out of sight Well documented.
Via Venice. Most pilgrims travelled through Venice, where shipowners specialised in carrying them to the Holy Land. The galleys often called at Cyprus on the way Well documented.
Guided by friars. In Jerusalem the Franciscans of Mount Zion, the only Catholic order the Muslim rulers allowed there, led pilgrims round the holy places, often in no more than two weeks Well documented.
A knighthood. Nobles could be made Knights of the Holy Sepulchre in the church of that name Well documented.
Tavast’s journey. A Catholic encyclopedia of 1909 says he went to the Holy Land and brought back works of art and manuscripts. It gives no year Likely.
Closer to home. Not everyone could go so far. After St Bridget’s relics were brought to Vadstena in 1394, it became the great pilgrimage goal of the North Likely.

Nobody travelled in the Middle Ages?

Most people did spend their lives close to home. But pilgrims, merchants, soldiers and students crossed Europe all the time. Young men from the diocese of Turku went to study at universities such as Paris and Prague, and came home as priests and bishops Likely.

Pin badges on a pilgrim’s hat

Click a badge. Pilgrim badges were cheap souvenirs of lead and tin, sold at shrines and pinned to a hat or cloak.

A typical route of the 1400s, drawn as a strip map in the style of medieval itineraries. Walk it stop by stop, then pin badges on a pilgrim’s hat.Tavast’s own route is not known. The stops are those of a typical journey.

Sources and further reading

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