Details
Founded: 1784-1787Category: Religious sites in Estonia
Historical period: Part of the Russian Empire (Estonia)
User Reviews
The Orthodox church of St George in Paldiski is a typical example of sacral structures of its era - a stone church with classicist baroque roots, it was built between 1784 and 1787 and was consecrated at the end of that year. However, its history dates back even further: the Paldiski Apostolic Orthodox congregation is considered to have been founded in 1721, when a simple church was constructed here for the soldiers and workmen who had been sent to Paldiski to carry out fortifying work commissioned by Russian tsar Peter the Great. A wooden church replaced the original church (constructed from 1724-1728 to the designs of an architect named Moor) and was consecrated in late 1728 in honor of St George the Martyr.
References:Stavanger Cathedral is Norway's oldest cathedral. Bishop Reinald, who may have come from Winchester, is said to have started construction of the Cathedral around 1100. It was finished around 1150, and the city of Stavanger counts 1125 as its year of foundation. The Cathedral was consecrated to Swithin as its patron saint. Saint Swithun was an early Bishop of Winchester and subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. Stavanger was ravaged by fire in 1272, and the Cathedral suffered heavy damage. It was rebuilt under bishop Arne, and the Romanesque Cathedral was enlarged in the Gothic style.
In 1682, king Christian V decided to move Stavanger's episcopal seat to Kristiansand. However, on Stavanger's 800th anniversary in 1925, king Haakon VII instated Jacob Christian Petersen as Stavanger's first bishop in nearly 250 years.During a renovation in the 1860s, the Cathedral's exterior and interior was considerably altered. The stone walls were plastered, and the Cathedral lost much of its medieval looks. A major restoration led by Gerhard Fischer in 1939-1964 partly reversed those changes. The latest major restoration of the Cathedral was conducted in 1999. Andrew Lawrenceson Smith is famous for his works here.