Poor man's statue in Isojoki

We had a day trip to Isojoki to visit my grandmother. She still lives in her own home, she is very bright and is quite well. She will turn 94 next year. My grandmother's home is next to Isojoki church. In the picture is a poor man statue, it's on the wall of the church.
 
Poor man statues are carved wooden statues placed outside Lutheran churches in Finland and in Sweden. Statues represent a poor and often disabled man begging for alms. The figures have usually a small money box inside and a slot in the chest for inserting a coin. They were used from 17th to 19th century for collecting money to the poor. The origin of poor man statues dates back to 1649 as the Queen Christina gave an order to place so called poor logs to churches and other public places. Soon the local carpenters started to modify these hollow wooden logs as beggar look-a-likes. A Biblical sentence is often written above the statue. Here the Psalm 41:2: The Lord will protect him and keep him alive, and he shall be called blessed upon the earth.

Today there are 144 poor man statues and one poor woman statue in Finland, while Sweden has only nine known ones left. Most of the Finnish statues are found in the rural areas of Western Finland, especially in the Ostrobothnia region. A large number of sculptures have been destroyed by fire, they have been robbed or vandalized otherwise.

This Isojoki church's statue has been renovated and panted several times after the year 1842 when it was acquired. The costume has originally been black, then light grey and now light brown. The statue was conservated in 2015. The whole statue as an extra photo.

51 different poor man statues


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