Kaarli Church

The Kaarli Church (or Charles XI’s Church) was built between 1862-1882 to replace the original Kaarli Church, itself founded in 1670 on the order of Sweden's King Charles XI. Like many wooden structures located outside the city wall, the first Kaarli Church burned down during the Great Northern War in the early 1700s.

Architect Otto Pius Hippius from St. Petersburg built the present limestone church using a special arch technique that gave it have a vast, open interior. With its wonderful acoustics and seating capacity of 1,500, the church is often used as a venue for choral concerts.

The Kaarli Church is home to the first Estonian fresco, “Come to Me,” painted in 1879 by famed Tallinn artist Johann Köler. It also boasts the country's largest church organ, installed in 1924.

Reference: Tallinn Tourism

Address

Kaarli puiestee, Tallinn, Estonia

Details

Founded: 1862-1882
Category: Religious sites in Estonia
Historical period: Part of the Russian Empire (Estonia)