Traces of the Ice Age in the ruggedly beautiful lakeside landscape.

At the Koikkalanmylly in Juva, by the shore of Lake Ruokojärvi, are the Church Rocks, a group of large glacial erratic boulders. Rising dramatically to over ten meters in height, the Church Rocks along the wild and barren shores of Lake Ruokojärvi are an impressive sight. The Church Rocks are also mentioned in the book Sacred Places of Finland’s Nature, from which the following text is quoted:

"According to legends, the place was once a church for ancient wilderness men, where sacrifices were made for a good catch and in thanks for it. Voitto Viinanen considers the place to have been the church for the wilderness hunters of the Lake Saimaa region, Häme, Karelia, and later the Savonians, during the great hunting season for deer before the Great Wrath (a period of war between Finland and Russia). Later, the Church Rocks became a forest church for local fishers and hunters, where the spirits of the forest and lake were worshipped. It was also a place of refuge and a hideout during wartime, where priests held services and performed baptisms and weddings. The site is said to have had an ancient boat landing and a 'purnu,' a dug-out pit used for storing meat and fish."

The address of the forest road junction leading to the Church Rocks is Koikkalantie 768.

The site is protected under the Nature Conservation Act.