Church of St. Olaf, Tallinn: history and photos

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

St Olaf's Church is one of the most beautiful sights in Tallinn, built in the 13th century. It is very good to see the city from its platform.

Urban legends

There is a legend about this place. It says that the construction of the church was carried out in order to create an unusually tall building for that time on the territory of Tallinn. Merchants should have seen her from their ships, sailing to the shore.

The grandiose plan was agreed to be carried out by a master unknown to the townspeople. As a reward, he asked for ten barrels of gold to be handed over to him at the end of the work.

City residents said the price was too high. Then the unknown person changed the condition and said that the customers would have to give his name as payment. If they succeed, he will build the structure for free.

The deal was made, but when the payment deadline approached, the Tallinners began to panic. They did not have the required amount of money. And then a spy was sent to the builder's wife. When she rocked the baby before going to bed, she mentioned the name of his father. It turned out that his name was Olev. So the inhabitants of the city were able to fulfill the conditionmasters.

The architect was annoyed that he had lost the opportunity to receive an award for his work. He was at a high altitude when he found out about it. In anger, Olev released the cross he was holding on to and fell to the ground. At the moment of death, a snake and a frog came out of his mouth. The legend explains this by the fact that the builder of the temple de alt with dark forces, for only they could help in the creation of such a magnificent structure.

Remaining Information

The building has a rather interesting history. Before the appearance of a holy temple on this land, there was a courtyard where Scandinavian merchants carried out trade. From 1015 to 1028, Olaf Haraldsson ruled here, who was later ranked among the saints. In honor of him, in fact, the church of St. Olaf is named.

Photos of this place amaze with their beauty and attract large flows of people here. The building is quite old. The first information about it appeared only in 1267, when church activities were already in full swing here.

The superior organization that took care of the temple was the Cisterian monastery for women. Saint Michael. Scandinavian merchants provided the means by which the Church of St. Olaf (Tallinn) could function. In the 1420s, it was expanded and extensively rebuilt. There were updated choirs and a basilica, which was decorated with pillars with four sides. The main nave was decorated with star vaults.

Distinguishing Features

Improvements were made further, so that at the beginning of the 16th century. homethe tower, together with the spire, had a height of 159 m. At that time, there was no higher structure in the whole world.

Sailors saw the spire while still at sea, and could navigate along it in search of a shore. Of course, such beauty and majesty came at a price with some risks involved.

The tall spire attracted lightning bolts that struck it eight times. Three times, thunderstorms caused fires that brought monstrous destruction.

During the long years that the Church of St. Olaf existed, history has seen everything. The triumph that the temple achieved was overshadowed in the minds of the people by a grandiose fire that occurred in 1625. The fire was visible even on the Finnish coast. Then the championship in beauty and grandeur had to give way to the Church of St. Mary (Stiralsund).

Interesting facts

There are records describing the changes St. Olaf's Church has gone through. At the moment, the structure rises to 123.7 m. The city government has adopted a decree that no nearby buildings should be higher than this structure.

From the records of B. Russov, a well-known chronicler, one can learn that in 1547 there were tightrope walkers in Tallinn. They had a cane stretched between the tower and the wall of the fortress, on which they showed tricks.

In the period from 1513 to 1523, architects were engaged in the construction of the chapel of the Virgin Mary, whose style is attributed to late Gothic. At the outer wall you can find a cenotaph - a symbolic burial dedicated to H. Pavels, who was the initiator of the construction. Here are the PassionsChrist on eight reliefs.

Unification of confessions

The Reformation, which began on the territory of Tallinn in September 1524, affected the Church of St. Olaf. Since then, it has been run by the Lutherans. In the 18th century, the epicenter of the pietistic Estonian revival unfolded here.

In 1736 there was Count von Zinzendorf preaching here. During the 19th century, evangelical preachers also visited here. Their words greatly influenced the people of that time.

The graceful architecture of the local buildings delighted visiting travelers. A poem dedicated to the temple by P. A. Vyazemsky, who managed to visit here several times.

Until 1944, the building was managed by the Lutheran German community. In 1950, the authority over the temple passed to the AUCECB. Baptists, Christians and Pentecostals began to pray here. The church began to be called united. The elders here were O. Tjark and O. Olvik.

St. Olaf's Church is a place where people of different faiths united into one family. Today, a thorough renovation has been carried out here. After the war, the temple was not active for a long time, so the renovation of the building was simply necessary.

In 1981, a baptistery appeared here. The entire Estonian brotherhood considered this shrine to be one of the most important. There were hours of prayers and Bible readings for the elders, and on Sundays there were services similar to conferences of a spiritual type. From 1978 to 1980 there was an "awakening" in which manypeople from all over the Soviet Union.

Highlights

Having learned where the Church of St. Olaf is located and having come here for informational purposes, it can be noted that excellent conditions have been created for the choir and music due to good acoustics. Nowadays, a large number of ensembles perform here, which are extremely interesting and pleasant to listen to. An excellent organ works, whose presence makes the sound surround.

What else should you pay attention to first of all, if there is very little time to take a good look at the Church of St. Olaf? The sights that glorified the temple are, first of all, star-shaped vaults, on which a beautiful pattern is created with frame arches.

Also, one should not ignore the sculptural relief that can be seen by looking behind the altar. A beautiful building is the chapel of the Virgin Mary, located on the east side. And, of course, you should pay attention to the cenotaph in honor of H. Pavels.

When you get to Tallinn, be sure to look into that part of the city where the Church of St. Olaf is located. Her address: st. Lai, house 50. This is the most beautiful work of architecture, in which all the most refined and sublime features of the Gothic are intertwined.