The Church of Holy Spirit, Tallinn, Estonia

The Church of Holy Spirit is the only sacred building from 14th-century Tallinn preserved its original form. The church was originally founded as part of the neighbouring Holy Spirit Almshouse, which tended to the town's sick and elderly. Throughout Medieval times it remained the primary church of the common folk. First Estonian-language sermons were held there, and the famous Livonian chronicler Balthasar Russow worked as a teacher there in the late 16th century.

Before entering the church, take a look at the façade, where there is clock that has been measuring time since the 17th century. The interior is richly decorated an exquisite example of wooden sculpture from the Gothic era. The altar, commissioned from Berndt Notke in 1483, is one of the four most precious medieval works of art in Estonia. Services in English are held every Sunday at 15:00. Musical hours are held each Monday starting at 18:00.

References:

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User Reviews

Eileen Weed (2 years ago)
It is worth the small 1.50 Euro entry fee to see the inside of this church from the early 1300s! There is interesting art from many hundreds of years ago, plus the fee helps the maintenance. I was in Tallinn on a 9-hour stopover on a Norwegian Getaway 9-day Baltic Cruise in August 2019. Rick Steves "Scandinavian & Northern European Cruise Ports" Guidebook was a great help and this church was part of the self-guided "Tallinn Walk" in the book.

Claudiu (2 years ago)
Old 13 century church which is very simple in architecture but has a very overwhelming woodwork interior that is a must see when in the city I had the pleasure of being accompanied during my visit by an organ repetition that sounded wonderful The highlight is the woodwork and paintings, very well crafted, you really feel taken back half a millennium

Julius Golstein (2 years ago)
Great ancient Church with mystical spiritual atmosphere and old metaphysical symbols the Human history...

Patricia Medeiros de Campos (3 years ago)
Church from the 13th century - small but really well preserved and really worth the visit. If you are lucky, you can enjoy a free organ concert

Mel Steenkamp (3 years ago)
Beautiful, well preserved, its an Estonian jewel. The woodwork is truly amazing, the detail is from a different era, that would be difficult to replicate. It is a must see, no picture can come near the experience to see this place in person. The entry fee is reasonable. I will visit this church every day, because there's too much detail to be taken in, in one visit.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Göran Höglund (Kartläsarn)

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