Pirita Convent, Tallinn, Estonia - SpottingHistory.com

Pirita Convent (Pirita klooster) was a monastery, for both monks and nuns dedicated to St. Bridget. In 1407 two brothers from St. Bridget Order Convent in Vadstena, Sweden, had arrived to Tallinn to promote with advice and other assistance the expansion of order to Estonia. In 1417 finally the first limestone quarry permit was obtained from the town with the help of the Grandmaster of the Livonian Order and the building of the Pirita convent started. The completed church was consecrated on August 15, 1436 by Tallinn’s Bishop Heinrch II.

The Pirita Convent operated over 150 years and was the largest nunnery in Old Livonia. It was brutally destroyed by Russian army short invasion in late January 1575. In addition, the nearby village was also destroyed. The local inhabitants never restored most of the buildings. As late as in last century – in the 1930s - potato field covered the former nuns quarters and the potatoes were stored in the former hypocaust of the abbess’s residence.

Today the beautiful park with the convent ruins is administrated by the Bridgettine sisters. The museum is opened year round.

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User Reviews

Rosario Martinez Garcia (7 months ago)
A beautiful place where you can visit closed to Capital City Tallin. It's just 10 minutes by bus public and the ticket it's cheap. You can get very nice pic for few coins.

Raymond Delno (7 months ago)
Beautiful old ruines of convent. You're back in the middle ages wandering around the premises. Entrance fee reasonable (€ 2,- 2018). Note that it's being restored and thus lots of scaffolding present. Worth a visit though. Like this post please if useful. Thank you.

Kerron Mitchell (7 months ago)
Super amazing and fun exploring place!!! We loved this ruin. It was so interesting and fun to roam around and it's so much bigger than it looks! Spend some time exploring your way around. Great for families!

Francesca Giorgio (8 months ago)
It's a mystic place and you can feel it still today. There is only one big map of the archeological site outside the entrance while I would suggest to print maps so the visitors can explore the site with a guide and recognize each room and its usage. No tourist guide available.

Marc Emmanuel (10 months ago)
Very interesting ruins with a lot to see. Had a great visit for a very cheap entry fee! The best thing: you can explore all by yourself. Without "no entrance" signs everywhere. Great small adventure! Definitely visit the small cave.

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In 910 AD, Count Konrad Kurzbold (cousin of the future King Konrad I) founded a collegiate chapter of 18 canons, who lived according to the rule of Bishop Chrodegang of Metz, on the hilltop site. The original castle chapel was torn down and a three-aisled basilica was built in its place. The foundations of this basilica have been found beneath the present floor.

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The collegiate chapter of Limburg was dissolved in 1803 during the Napoleonic period, but then raised to the rank of cathedral in 1827 when the bishopric of Limburg was founded. Some renovations in contemporary style followed: the walls were coated white, the windows were redone in blue and orange (the heraldic colors of the Duke of Nassau) and towers were added to the south transept (1865).

Further changes came after Limburg was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866. It was now the Romantic period and the cathedral was accordingly restored to an idealized vision of its original Romanesque appearance. The exterior stonework was stripped of all its plaster and paint, to better conform with the Romantic ideal of a medieval church growing out of the rock. The Baroque interior was stripped away and the wall paintings were uncovered and repainted.

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