Karuse Church

Hanila, Estonia

Karuse church is one of the oldest sacral buildings in Läänemaa – it was built in the 1260s as a fortress-church for the Livonian Order. According the legend Otto von Lutterberg, a Master of the Livonian Order, has been buried in the church. He fell in a battle against Lithuanians, fought on sea ice near the church.

Inside the church you should pay attention to the Baroque-style pulpit and altar. When walking around the churchyard you will see the trapezoid headstones originating from the 13th century and wheel crosses dating back to the 17th century.

Refefence: Visit Estonia

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Address

Kinksi küla, Hanila, Estonia
See all sites in Hanila

Details

Founded: 1260's
Category: Religious sites in Estonia
Historical period: Danish and Livonian Order (Estonia)

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Leonid Romanov (2 years ago)
"The Church of Margaret in Karusa - the church in the village of Kinks is one of the oldest sacral buildings in Western Estonia. The church was dedicated to St. Margaret. The single - span fortified church was built in the 13th century . Next to the church there are unique trapezoid tombstones and tombstones of the 13th-17th centuries, ring crosses of the 19th century. The vaulted choir of the stone church and the double-vaulted nave were probably built in the third quarter of the 13th century, before 1270, when the master of the order, Otto von Lutterberg, who is also considered the master builder of the church, was probably buried there. The triumphal arch of the church is noticeably small and low. Window openings were originally located in pairs (preserved in the eastern wall of the choir hall). The western lancet portal of the church is two-stage, it is framed by two circular belts separated by a deep niche. Details of the fence, located in the upper part of the arch of the portal - a triple leaf in the form of a triskeleton and above it a quatrefoil. The door can be closed with a latch. Today, the vaulted ceiling of the nave is destroyed; the residential vault with the edge of the choir room has been preserved. In the 16th century, the first one was added to the church, in 1859 a new western tower was erected, the door of the western narthex was made and the windows were rebuilt.
Muhkel “Muhkel.ee” (3 years ago)
A beautiful little country church
Marko B (5 years ago)
Need repairs.
Piret (5 years ago)
Great place to visit and be in touch
Timo Kosonen (6 years ago)
Fine weathered church.
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Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.