Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Alexander
Nevsky Cathedral is Tallinn’s largest and grandest cupola cathedral.
The large, richly decorated Orthodox church, in mixed historicist style,
was built on Toompea Hill in 1900, when Estonia was part of the Russian
tsarist empire. The architect of the church was Mikhail Preobrazhenski
from St. Petersburg. The church is dedicated to the Prince of Novgorod,
Alexander Yaroslavitz Nevsky, who led the famous Ice Battle on the banks
of Lake Peipsi on 5 April, 1242 and halted the Germans' eastward advance.
Before the building of the cathedral, there was a garden on the same
site, in front of Toompea Castle, with a memorial to Martin Luther.
The well-maintained cathedral is the grandest sacred Orthodox structure
in Tallinn .
The church’s belltowers hold Tallinn’s most powerful church
bell ensemble, consisting of 11 bells, including the largest in Tallinn,
weighing 15 tonnes. You can hear the entire bell ensemble playing before
church services. The interior, decorated with mosaics and icons, is
well worth a visit.
Church of the Holy Ghost
Church of Holy Ghost is the only sacred building from the 14th century in Tallinn that has preserved its original form. The simple, humble Church of the Holy Ghost was completed in the 1360’s and, but for the exception of the baroque spire, it has retained its original medieval exterior. The Church of the Holy Ghost holds an important place in Estonian cultural history: the first Estonian sermons were preached here, and the Livonian chronicler Balthasar Russow worked here as a teacher in the late 16th century. Johann Koell, a pastor at the Church of the Holy Ghost, is considered to be the author of the first Estonian book, a catechism published in 1535. Tower bell, made in 1433, was the oldest in Estonia but in May 2002 was badly damaged in fire. The painted clock on its facade is the oldest public timekeeper in Tallinn. The interior is richly decorated, a good example of wooden sculpture from the Gothic era. The altar, commissioned from Berndt Notke in 1483, is one of the four most precious Medieval works of art in Estonia.
ESTONIA
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