Själö

Själö or Nagu Själö (in Swedish) or Seili (in Finnish) is a small island (about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from north to south), off the main islands of Nagu, in the Archipelago Sea, off the south west coast of Finland.

Actually Själö, then and at least until the 18th century, comprised two islands separated by a shallow strait, which has disappeared because of the land rising from the sea, an after-effect of glacial compression during the last ice age.

According to a Royal Decree in 1619 by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, the buildings of the hospital in Turku, with the exception of the chapel, were burned down and the inmates transported to Själö.

The last leper patient died in 1785, and the establishment on Själö became a hospital or a place of confinement for mentally afflicted people until 1962.

Currently the island hosts the Archipelago Research Institute that is a part of the University of Turku.