Dominican Monastery, Tallinn, Estonia

The Dominican monastery was founded in 1246 and it is the oldest one in the medieval old town. The center of monastery was St. Catherine's Church, which was completed in the late 1300s and was the largest church building in the lower town. The Monastery was expanded several times, most recently in the 16th century.

St. Catherine's convent closed down in 1525, when the monks were expelled from Tallinn during the Reformation. The looted and empty monastery church was destroyed by fire in 1531 - only ruins were left.

There were originally three inner chambers (together so-called claustrum) in the monastery allowed only for residents. The claustrum housed the most important rooms in the monastery: the prior’s room, the old library, the chapter hall, the dormitory, the sacristy, the cloister and the vestry. In the 14th and 15th centuries the leaders of the knight guilds of Harju and Virumaa often used the claustrum as their meeting and gathering place.

Only the eastern chamber has been preserved to our days. The dormitory, library, dining room and other rooms provide a fascinating opportunity to take a peek into the life of medieval monks. A mysterious "energy column" is located in the basement. According the legend it can be a source of physical and mental well-being.

References: VisitEstonia, ABC Matkatoimisto

User Reviews

J. Castillo (5 years ago)
Impresionante Claustro, del monasterio donde lo antiguo es bello y bien conservado y donde hay una persona que se encarga de ello, donde hacerse unas fotos y dejar una donación y no una obligación, merece la pena debes de Ir

Common Sense (5 years ago)
Vahva koht, tekitab tõelise ajaloos olemise tunde. Üks põnevamatest nurgatagustest Tallinna Vanalinnas.

Olchik Bogomolchik (6 years ago)
Обязательное место к посещению в Старом городе! Очень завораживающие и историческое место, особенно красивый монастырь в летний период, когда много зелени вокруг! Я родом из Таллинна, но частенько гуляю и заглядываю в этот монастырь!

Sou S (6 years ago)
Interesting place with tranquil feel. Run by the public museum organization or institute now, not by Church.

Elena Punty (6 years ago)
One of the most eerily beautiful and peaceful places in all of Tallinn. Small, but the courtyard is free. To get into the Monestary is cheap (a few euro?) and lots of beautiful stone work. A quiet and beautiful respite from the tourist crowds out in the streets.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.

From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.

As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).

Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.

Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

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