Alexander Church, Narva, Estonia

Narva Alexander's Cathedral is the biggest church in Estonia. The project of the church was drawn by Otto Pius von Hippius and it was built between 1881 – 1884. The plot of land for the church was a gift from Georg v. Kramer, the owner of Joala mansion. The owner of the Krenholm Manufacture paid the building expenses and the church was built to accommodate 5000 workers of Krenholm Manufacture and had 2500 seats.

Church was built in Romanesque style. The height of the main building is 25,5 m and the belfry in the western part of the church was 60,75 m high. The organ with 30 stops was built in Walcker factory in Germany.

On the 6th of March 1944 the soviet army bombed Narva, damaging the roof of the church. On the 24th of July on 1944 the tower was destroyed, allegedly by the leaving German army.

The divine services were held in this church until 1962, when the soviet authorities forced the congregation to leave The church was converted into a storehouse. In 1990 the Cathdral was returned to the congregation and now the restoration works are lead by Villu Jürjo, the present minister of the church.

Reference: Narvakirik.ee

User Reviews

Andrei Gorin (12 months ago)
The Alexander Lutheran Church (Church of the Memory of Emperor Alexander II) in Narva is a church dedicated to the Russian Emperor Alexander II. It was built in Narva in 1881-1884 in the neo-Romanesque style. Before the war, it was the largest church building in Estonia. The author of the temple's design was academician Otto von Gippius from St. Petersburg.

Alexander Wagon (4 years ago)
An amazing church with an incredible architecture. The tower is well preserved and contains an interesting exhibition. The main part of the church, unfortunately, is in decay and there does not seem to be enough money to restore it. Actually, I visited it more than 10 years ago and back then it was still more or less safe to visit the sitting areas. Now it is not.

Matis Rodin (5 years ago)
Grand building, that is almost in ruins after the neglect during Soviet rule. The church was built for 5000 people and the present size of the congregation is 70 people. The tower was reconstructed in 2008, and since then the building is beautifully lit after dark.

Helen V (6 years ago)
ℹ️ 3€ tower + museum; 2€ video installation. Cash only! ? This was my favourite tourist spot in Narva. ? Video installation was something that I did not expect in a church and it looked amazing. Museum was quite interesting too, even though it's small - about 30-60 min to see everything. The church itself was built in 1881-1884, but unfortunately it was totally destroyed during the WWII.

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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.

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