St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Tallinn, Estonia

The church, with its twin bell towers and copper dome, was designed by St. Petersburg court architect Luigi Rusca and built in 1820-27. The main iconostasis is from the 19th century and the older ones in aisles from the turn of 17th and 18th centuries. Today the church is used by the Russian Orthodox Parish of Tallinn.

User Reviews

TheRin30 (2 years ago)
На этом месте с XV века стоит Никольская русская церковь, давшая название улице Вене (русская). Нынешний облик церковь получила в 1823 году. На территории храма под алтарём погребён священномученик Арсений, Митрополит Ростовский.

George On tour (2 years ago)
The first Classicist church building with twin towers in Tallinn was designed by Luigi Rusca, an architect from St. Petersburg, and constructed in the period of 1820–1827. The church's valuable iconostas is almost as famous as the Zarudnev iconostas in the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. The remains of Arseny, a metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl, who died as a prisoner in Tallinn in 1772 and who was declared a saint in the year 2000, are located in the church. The church is administered by an orthodox congregation that belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate.

Luis Serra (2 years ago)
Igreja ortodoxa da cidade de Tallin ainda em funcionamento. Muito bonita e bem conservada. Uma visita durante o culto será muito interessante, uma vez que poderão ter acesso ao desenrolar de um ritual religioso ortodoxo. Tem uma loja dento da igreja onde se podem comprar souvenires!

ISI BALTIC A.IVANOV (2 years ago)
The oldest Church in Estonia!

Sergii Multipedia (2 years ago)
Nice

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

Historic Site of the week

Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory. It's absolutely free, easy, and you can do it even without registration (of course you an also create an free account)!

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal

The Beauty of Cinque Terre

Historic Site of the week

Derbent Fortress

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?