Tallinn’s Wooden Cathedral

Tallinn, Estonia has a number of cathedrals serving different religious groupings, but none of the others is quite as distinct as the diminutive but historic one serving the Autonomous Estonian Orthodox Church.

Tallinn,_Püha_Siimeoni_kirik,_1752-55,_1870_(1) lifar

Lijar/Wikimedia Commons

P1330983

The Church of St Simeon and the Prophetess Anne, to give its long name, was built in the 1750s, on the edge of Tallinn’s waterfront and served mostly sailors and other members of the maritime community. Legend says much of the original structure was lumber salvaged from shipwrecks.

P1330990P1330991

It was rebuilt to more or less its present form in the 1870s when it served a Russian Navy congregation; after 1919 it was taken over by the Autonomous church. After World War II, when Estonia was part of the Soviet Union, it was deconsecrated and used for a variety of purposes.

P1330993P1330995

In the 1990s, after Estonia regained independence, it was returned to the church, and extensively restored, inside and out, and is officially protected as a cultural monument.

P1330998

During my week in Tallinn, I missed the only times it was open for services, so I have no interior pictures of my own; the one below was made by Sinnika Halme and posted on Wikimedia Commons.

1280px-Tallinn_orthodox_church_of_saint_simeon_and_the_prophetess_hanna_-_interior1 sinikka halme

Share the Post:

Comments

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Featured Destination

Rethymno: More of Crete

Rethymno is a rare combination of history and modern-day luxury, with its multicultural old town, tropical beaches and exquisite Cretan cuisine.

Read More

recommended by TravelGumbo

Gumbo's Pic of the Day

Posts by the Same Author