Religious sites in Estonia
Tarvastu Church
The oldest parts of the church in Tarvastu date back to the 14th century. The former church consisted of a square-shaped nave and a choir. The church has suffered in numerous wars and in 1771 it received a new appearance under the supervision of Johann Christoph Knaut. The church caught fire after a stroke of lightning in 1892 and its reconstruction was started in 1893, in December of the very same year the consecration o ...Räpina Church
The present church of Räpinä is probably the third, earlier have been destroyed in wars. The current late Baroque style church was built in 1785. Interior values of the church include an altar painting by Carl Antropoff, painted in 1871 and consisting of two parts: The Entombment of Jesus and Jesus reveals himself to Mary Magdalene.Räpina Orthodox Church
St Zachariah’s and St Elizabeth’s Orthodox Church in Räpina was built in 1829-1833 to replace the previous one destroyed by fire in 1813. It represents a simple neo-Classical style. The iconostasis is made by old Russian masters, icons from Pihkva and Petseri.Saatse Orthodox Church
The stone church of Great Martyr Paraskeva was completed in 1801 and it is the oldest Orthodox church in Estonia countryside. The wooden bell tower was erected in 1839 and the church was enlarged in 1884. The iconostasis was brought from the another church in 1869.Võõpsy Tsässon (Chapel)
The traditional chapel of Võõpsu village (“Migula tsässon”) community is thought to have been built at the end of the 13th century or beginning of the 14th century in the honour of St. Nicholas. The current tsässon was built in 1709. An archaeological monument under heritage conservation – an underground cemetery where people were buried up to the 19th century – is located n ...Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Historic Site of the week
Petersberg Citadel
The Petersberg Citadel is one of the largest extant early-modern citadels in Europe and covers the whole north-western part of the Erfurt city centre. It was built after 1665 on Petersberg hill and was in military use until 1963. It dates from a time when Erfurt was ruled by the Electors of Mainz and is a unique example of the European style of fortress construction. Beneath the citadel is an underground maze of passageways that can be visited on guided tours organised by Erfurt Tourist Office.
The citadel was originally built on the site of a medieval Benedictine Monastery and the earliest parts of the complex date from the 12th century. Erfurt has also been ruled by Sweden, Prussia, Napoleon, the German Empire, the Nazis, and post-World War II Soviet occupying forces, and it was part of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). All of these regimes used Petersberg Citadel and had an influence on its development. The baroque fortress was in military use until 1963. Since German reunification in 1990, the citadel has undergone significant restoration and it is now open to the public as a historic site.