Käsmu Lutheran Church

Visited May 27, 2013

My wife decided this morning that we should go out to the national forest and do some hiking. We went up to the Käsmu peninsula and of course I found a church.

Käsmu Lutheran Church was built in 1864 and is in the middle of this small village right on the water. The doors were open, so I was able to go inside and see the altar and organ, which was built in 1813 and apparently has some of the oldest parts in Estonia.

Bascilica of Jekaterina in Pärnu

Visited May 20, 2013

According to the sign on the church, the orthodox Church of Jekaterina was begun in 1765 and completed in 1768, a century before the majority of orthodox churches here. It was built by order and financed by the Russian Queen Catherine II.

St. Elizabeth’s Lutheran Church in Pärnu

Visited May 20, 2013

I have visited Pärnu a couple times but have never managed to walk around the old city and take pictures of the churches. Today I grabbed a couple, the first of which is St. Elizabeth’s Lutheran Church.

St. Elizabeth's was built in 1747 according to the door, and is a Baroque church named after the Russian Empress Elizabeth. And of course it was locked.

Uulu Church

Visited May 20, 2013

The Uulu church is not far from the church we visited in Tahkuranna. It appears to be associated with the Uulu Mois, or manor house, and was constructed in 1880 by Baron Reinhold Stael von Holstein, the owner of the manor house.

It is a strange looking church, with stone construction on the sides and a more modern-ish front. The interior is extremely plain. A picture on the door shows that the church once had a steeple, and from the internet, I was able to determine that it reopened in 2007.

Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Tahkuranna

Visited May 20, 2013

We made a road trip to Riga this weekend. I did take some church pictures there, but those aren't for this blog.

Instead, I found a few churches I hadn't shot before, including the Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Tahkuranna.

This church was built in 1872 and is out in the middle of the woods right by the water. It is the home church of Konstantin Pats, the first president of Estonia.

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Haapsalu

Visited May 11, 2013

I first saw this church when I was in Haapsalu a few months ago. But we were in a hurry to catch a ferry to Hiiumaa, so I wasn't able to get a shot then.

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church was built in the 1500s and is first mentioned in 1524. It was rebuilt from a 15th century warehouse and differs from other churches in that it has a north-south orientation. The doors were locked, so I couldn't get in. Apprently the clock in the tower of the church is one of the oldest in Estonia and the oldest in the west of Estonia.

Orthodox Church of St Mary Magdalene in Haapsalu

Visited May 11, 2013

We found the Estonian Orthodox Church of St Mary Magdalene while walking along the prominade after lunch in Haapsalu. It was built in 1852 and is really beautiful on the outside. Of course...I didn't get to go inside. I have the worst luck with locked churches!!

St Nicholas’ Lutheran Church in Lääne-Nigula

Visited May 11, 2013

I woke up this morning to a beautiful blue sky and warm weather, and thought the day would be better used with a trip to Haapsalu. I found this church along the way.

St Nicholas’ Lutheran Church in Lääne-Nigula was orignally built around the 13th century, but has been rebuilt to a considerable extent and has a Baroque west tower. A plaque over the door reads 1760.

I couldn't get inside, but the door was open with a locked iron gate-type door in front. So I was able to reach through and take a picture.

St Mary Magdalene´s Lutheran Church in Kärla

Visited May 8, 2013

I spoke to a school in Kärla as part of my Regional Outreach on Saaremaa this past week. My outreach partner humors me every time we go down there and finds me another church to photograph. So this time, I got to shoot St. Mary Magdalene´s Lutheran Church in Kärla.

This church was built in 1843, though it has been remodeled a bit. The plaque reading 1906 on the bell tower made me worried that it wouldn't fit my parameters, especially with how boxy this church is. Glad I did anyway...it is older than it looks (but not by much).