The Estonia Page > History / Culture
Estonian Churches
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The early 13th century was a turning point in Estonian history. After decades of battles the country was finally conquered and Christianised. We may view these events in different ways, but one thing is clear - it was at this point that Estonia was integrated into Western European culture. This integration is best visualised by Estonian ecclesiastical architecture. |
In spite of the smallness of Estonian territory, medieval architectural scene here is surprisingly diverse. There are a number of reasons for this diversity. Firstly, the building material used in different areas was different: in North and West Estonia it was limestone, in South Estonia brick and boulders. More importantly, there was a large number of patrons. Namely, in the Middle Ages Estonia was divided between different powers. There were three bishops; the bishop of Tartu in South-East Estonia and the bishop of Oesel-Wiek (W. Estonian and islands), who were also landlords. North Estonia was ruled by Denmark until 1346, and a large part of the country came under the control of Livonian Order, a branch of the Teutonic Order. In the course of time towns gained autonomy. It was very often the patrons who were responsible for the appearance of religious architecture. The builders were mostly travelling contractors who brought to Estonia building conventions from different regions in Europe.
The conquest of Estonian territory was brought to an end in 1227 with a large campaign to the island of Saaremaa, where after the capture of the ancient stronghold of Valjala a grandiose baptism was arranged. To commemorate this event the chapel of Valjala was erected, and this marks the beginning of the history of Estonian sacred architecture. In the 1240s the building was reconstructed: the chapel was turned into a sanctuary and the nave was added. This ground plan became dominant in Western Estonia for centuries. The churches, as a rule, did not have a tower, which betrays a Cistercian influence. In fact, this monastic order has greatly affected medieval religious architecture in Estonia.
The Church of Valjala introduces another recurrent theme. The newly conquered lands were very often in turmoil so they were dangerous. That is the reason why the space above the vaults was turned into a refuge and a parapet built alongside the windows in the nave. Such churches of defensive character were built in Estonia until the late Middle Ages.
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The churches of Oesel-Wiek bishopric are remarkable for their sculpted details. The most impressive in this respect was the work in the Church of Karja where the didactic scenes alternate with naturalistic foliage. This betrays an early Gothic French influence. |
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A group of original churches were built in Mid-Estonia starting from the mid-13th century. These were three-aisle hall churches with slender round pillars. Towers began be built quite early. One of the oldest of these churches is the Church of Ambla where the decorated capitals of the columns witness to the work of a master mason from Gotland. |
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The architectural heritage of South Estonia has survived in relatively scant numbers. This was partly caused by the fact that the dominant building material was brick, partly by continuous warfare. In the 13th century builders mostly came from Riga (in particular from the Riga Cathedral building yard) and they brought Westphalian and Rhenish conventions to Estonian architecture.
Subsequently the centre of building activity moved to Tartu, particularly after 1361, when Visby was captured and Tartu began to play an important role in the trade between the Hanseatic partners, mainly Luebeck and Russia. Thus the largest sacred building to be erected in Old Livonia was the Cathedral in Tartu.
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St.
Johns's Church in Tartu completed in the late 14th century has unique
terracotta sculptures. There were more than one thousand of them
in the church and it is unrivalled in European Gothic in this respect.
In North-Estonia - in Tallinn in particular - the 13th century builders introduced, first and foremost, Westphalian building conventions. Two parish churches - St. Olaf's (Oleviste) and St. Nicholas' (Niguliste ) followed Westphalian patterns in their original form. Building boomed in Tallinn in the 15th century when the majority of Tallinn churches were reconstructed. The notable features were basilica and ambulatory. This marked an unusually late orientation to cathedral Gothic; in those days the "non-hierarchical" hall church was the usual manifestation of the self-consciousness of the burghers. However, similar tendencies were present in other Hanseatic towns along the Baltic coast. There was another important change in building practices in Tallinn. Until then the main builders had been the travelling contractors, now the business was taken over by the Tallinn stonemasons' guild. The influence of Tallinn builders is evident in North Estonia where in the previous centuries building activity had been relatively slack.
An important role in medieval Estonia was played by various monastic orders. The best-known were two Cistercian monasteries - in Padise and in Kärkna. In their structure the need for defence was also observed and as a result these large complexes resemble more fortifications than traditional monasteries.
The Holy Ghost Church built in the 13-14th centuries is the most archaic in Tallinn. The church served as town council chapel, parish church and the church of the hospital/almshouse and this must have been the reason for the unusual asymmetrical two-aisle plan. |
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Very little has survived of medieval church interiors. The surviving works of art are mostly assembled in Tallinn where alongside the local masters' work we can find the imported works of art, in particular from Luebeck. The most impressive are the high altar of St. Nicholas' Church from the workshop of Hermen Rode (1479-1481), the Bernt Notke altar in the Holy Ghost (Pühavaimu) Church (1493) and a monumental "Death Dance" (Danse Macabre) - a replica of a similar painting in St. Mary's Church in Luebeck.
In the 1520s Reformation was introduced to Estonia. At about the same time there are first manifestations of Renaissance art. The remainder of the century, however, turned out to be unfavourable to arts. The year of 1558 marks the beginning of a prolonged war to control Old Livonia in the course of which the old system collapsed. The situation did not stabilise until the 17th century when Estonia was annexed by Sweden. There is very little to say about church architecture in those days: the network of country churches had already been established by that time. Besides stone churches, wooden churches came to be built. Only two of them survive today - the oldest on the island of Ruhnu, built in 1643-1644. The surviving Baroque interiors, mostly reredos and pulpits, date from the 17th century and are conspicuous. Indeed, most of the churches had been ravaged in the previous wars and the Lutheran Church had set their own demands. Most of the interiors were the work of Tallinn artisans who responded quickly to changes in fashion, in particular as far as decor was concerned.
Mary Magdalen's Church built on the island of Ruhnu in 1643-44 is the oldest wooden structure in Estonia. It is a peculiar combination of the rustic building tradition and the Baroque style. |
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In the 18th century the Great Northern War (1700-1721), which ravaged the whole country, broke out between Sweden and Russia. As a result Estonia was annexed to Russia. The decline caused by the war lasted for decades. Gradually a new type of Baroque church was introduced where the ideal was the undivided space resembling a large hall. In 1744-1747 St. Elizabeth's Church was built in Pärnu. The most typical Baroque church was St. John's Church in Valga (1787-1789). The larger part of architects and builders came from Germany. As a new feature Russian Orthodox churches were erected, in particular in the cities where the Russian garrisons were stationed. The first was St. Catherine's Church in Pärnu (1764-1768), followed by Orthodox churches in Tartu, Kuressaare and Võru.
Around the mid-19th century there was population explosion both in the cities and in the countryside and the churches were becoming too cramped for space. That was the reason why new churches were built and old churches reconstructed, especially in the more prosperous South Estonia where many churches have lost their historical shape because of reconstruction and additions. This was the age of new styles. The Eisenach Church Council of 1861 preferred Romanesque and Gothic styles as the most dignified and their recommendations were followed in constructing contemporary buildings. In church architecture - both in building new churches and in reconstructing old churches - professional architects worked side by side with amateurs.
In the mid-19th century a large number of Estonians, country people in particular, were converted to Russian Orthodox faith in the hope of getting new land. As a result numerous Russian Orthodox churches were built in which the Old-Russian architectural styles were emulated. The end of the century saw a wave of brutal Russification supported by the Orthodox Church. These events were reflected in the building of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn and the Pykhtitsa Convent in East Estonia.
For centuries two cultures had existed side by side in Estonia: town, manor and church which belonged to foreigners, mostly Germans, whereas Estonian life centred on the village. As late as the turn of the 19th/20th century Estonian urban culture developed. Among other things, Estonian organisations had a number of public buildings erected. A confrontation between the Estonian and the German community caused the designs to be commissioned from Finland. So one of the most outstanding buildings of the period, St. Paul's Church in Tartu, was built to the design of Eliel Saarinen , the leading Finnish architect of the time.
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Useful links:
- Religious organisations at the search engine Estonia-Wide Web
- Religious organisations at the search engine NETI (the list is only in Estonian, but more concise)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs (only in Estonian)
- The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
- The Faculty of Theology at University of Tartu
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The Estonia Page > History / Culture
This fact sheet was published by the Estonian Institute in October, 1999 and is intended to be used for reference purposes. It may be freely used in preparing articles, speeches, broadcasts, etc. No acknowledgement is necessary.