Jõelähtme Church

Jõelähtme, Estonia

Jõelähtme church is one of the oldest churches in Harjumaa County. The building of Gothic-styled church was started in 1220s and completed in the beginning of 14th century. Jõelähtme church was consecrated to Virgin Mary.

The church has been rebuilt several times. The last rebuilding in 1910 was carried out after a conflagration: the gable end tower was replaced by a massive tower erected in front of the portal. Although the church has been subject to damage at various times, it still has the Late Renaissance pulpit and the Baroque altar (completed in 1670).

The grave of Gustav Heinrich Schüdlöffel (1798-1859), pastor who ministered the congregation for a long time and is known for his literary achievments, can still be seen in the cemetery. In March 2000 the altar crucifix, two candlesticks, four chandeliers, two girandoles and the contribution box were stolen from Jõelähtme church. In April 2001 the thieves returned the stolen objects.

Reference: Rebala.ee

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Address

Kirikumõisa tee, Jõelähtme, Estonia
See all sites in Jõelähtme

Details

Founded: ca. 1220
Category: Religious sites in Estonia
Historical period: Danish and Livonian Order (Estonia)

More Information

www.rebala.ee

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Monika Saks (5 months ago)
väga südamlik preestser, Margus suudab jõuda hinge ja sūdamesse. Kuulake teda kui juhtute Jõelähtmele
Alexander Antipenko (6 months ago)
Мне нравятся такие места,архитектура,старинные кресты.
Михаил Мирошниченко (8 months ago)
Своеобразная, но интересная атмосфера вокруг церкви. Особенно, если приехать во время заката, в пасмурную погоду. Замшелые камни, низенькие могильные кресты. И никого вокруг.
George On tour (8 months ago)
Jõelähtme Church is one of the oldest churches in Estonia. The church was originally made of wood, and it was established during the period of the Danes’ conquest at the beginning of the 1220s. In written records, the Church of Blessed Virgin Mary in Jõelähtme is first mentioned in 1241, and according to the mediaeval administrative system, it belonged to the Tallinn Dome Church. The present-day appearance of the church has come to being in three major stages, finally acquiring the traditional “triple jump” silhouette group. Some of the valuable cultural monuments have remained, such as the Renaissance-style pulpit from 1639, and the Baroque altar from 1670. The oldest church bell of the Harju County is also kept at the church.
Patrik H (3 years ago)
Very beautiful old church from 14th and 15th century in gothic style
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The Porta Nigra was built in grey sandstone between 186 and 200 AD. The original gate consisted of two four-storied towers, projecting as near semicircles on the outer side. A narrow courtyard separated the two gate openings on either side. For unknown reasons, however, the construction of the gate remained unfinished. For example, the stones at the northern (outer) side of the gate were never abraded, and the protruding stones would have made it impossible to install movable gates. Nonetheless, the gate was used for several centuries until the end of the Roman era in Trier.

In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city. The Porta Nigra guarded the northern entry to the Roman city, while the Porta Alba (White Gate) was built in the east, the Porta Media (Middle Gate) in the south, and the Porta Inclyta (Famous Gate) in the west, next to the Roman bridge across the Moselle. The gates stood at the ends of the two main streets of the Roman Trier, one of which led north-south and the other east-west. Of these gates, only the Porta Nigra still exists today.

In the early Middle Ages the Roman city gates were no longer used for their original function and their stones were taken and reused for other buildings. Also iron and lead braces were broken out of the walls of the Porta Nigra for reuse. Traces of this destruction are still clearly visible on the north side of the gate.

After 1028, the Greek monk Simeon lived as a hermit in the ruins of the Porta Nigra. After his death (1035) and sanctification, the Simeonstift monastery was built next to the Porta Nigra to honor him. Saving it from further destruction, the Porta Nigra was transformed into a church: The inner court of the gate was roofed and intermediate ceilings were inserted. The two middle storeys of the former gate were converted into church naves: the upper storey being for the monks and the lower storey for the general public. The ground floor with the large gates was sealed, and a large outside staircase was constructed alongside the south side (the town side) of the gate, up to the lower storey of the church. A small staircase led further up to the upper storey. The church rooms were accessible through former windows of the western tower of the Porta Nigra that were enlarged to become entrance doors (still visible today). The top floor of the western tower was used as church tower, the eastern tower was leveled, and an apse added at its east side. An additional gate - the much smaller Simeon Gate - was built adjacent to the East side of the Porta Nigra and served as a city gate in medieval times.

In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte dissolved the church in the Porta Nigra and the monastery beside it, along with the vast majority of Trier"s numerous churches and monasteries. On his visit to Trier in 1804, Napoleon ordered that the Porta Nigra be converted back to its Roman form. Only the apse was kept; but the eastern tower was not rebuilt to its original height. Local legend has it that Napoleon originally wanted to completely tear down the church, but locals convinced him that the church had actually been a Gaulish festival hall before being turned into a church. Another version of the story is that they told him about its Roman origins, persuading him to convert the gate back to its original form.

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