In 1695, a church was built on this site. Instead of a cross, there was a rooster on the roof. Vicar Samuel Julenius wanted the church to be built as far away from the vicarage as possible. The vicarage was located next to a chapel in Toranki. According to Vicar Julenius, the parishioners behaved shamelessly and drank alcohol in the church cabins outside the chapel. The court found that immoral activities would not be any less frequent if the priest was far from the church, but despite the opinion of the court, the church was eventually built on the site suggested by the priest.

Kuusamo Lappmark Parish, which extended to Inari, was founded in 1673. From 1800 to 1944, there was a large cruciform church and bell tower on this site. In autumn 1944, the church was burnt down and the valuable church bells disappeared.

The present-day Holy Cross Church was completed during the reconstruction period in 1951. In 1958, a border region church was built to Käylä village, North Kuusamo, in memory of the church of Paanajärvi village that had been ceded to Soviet Union.

Audio file: Listen to the story of the bells of the Holy Cross Church

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