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:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.