Audru Church, which was built in 1680, is one of the few 17th century rural churches left in Estonia. It was built under the patronage of great church builder Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie, who built 37 churches in Sweden.

The baroque-style plastered church has a tall and slim gothic tower. A beautiful vaulted ceiling hangs above the spacious church hall and the church's benches, pulpit, altar wall and grid, and the organ balcony on the western wall all date back to the 19th century. Lady of the manor Pilar von Pilchau donated Gustav Biermann’s altar painting 'Christ on the Cross' to the church in 1872.

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Tõstamaa mnt, Audru, Estonia
See all sites in Audru

Details

Founded: 1680
Category: Religious sites in Estonia
Historical period: Part of the Swedish Empire (Estonia)

More Information

visitparnu.ee
www.rannatee.ee

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Oskar Susi (2 years ago)
A wooden church was built in Audru in 1636 by the von Thurn family, which was the first Lutheran church in Livonia and the whole of the Baltics. The church was consecrated on October 9, 1636 and began to bear the name of the Church of the Holy Cross in Audru. The current stone church was built on the same site, instead of the old wooden church in 1677-1680. The construction was led by Latvian master Jürgen Grabing. The church is surrounded by an arboretum founded by forest scientist Raimond Erik Prentsel in 1970-1996, which is one of the most unique in the Baltic and Nordic countries in terms of species richness. In the church garden there is a stone with a memorial plaque: Aleksander Kunileid 1845-1875 - the pioneer of Estonian choral singing; Friedrich Saebelmann 1851-1911 - "The Most Beautiful Songs" wizard
Aivar Mõnuvere (2 years ago)
The word of God is holy
Helina S. (3 years ago)
An interesting arboretum
Kaspar Kase (3 years ago)
Nice church, but the door was locked and I couldn't get in
Artur Adamson (4 years ago)
Beautiful church, nice park, lots of interesting plants.
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