Churches

Lossi plats 10 Map
Ph: +372 644 3484 · Fax: +372 644 3484
nevsky@hot.ee · Homepage

This spectacular, onion-domed structure perched atop Toompea Hill is Estonia's main Russian Orthodox cathedral. It's also by far the grandest, most opulent Orthodox church in Tallinn. Built in 1900, when Estonia was part of the tsarist Russian empire, the cathedral was originally intended as a symbol of the empire's dominance – both religious and political – over this increasingly unruly Baltic territory. ...

Liivalaia 38 Map

Built in 1721, this small Russian Orthodox church has the distinction of being the oldest wooden structure in Tallinn. It was the first church completed after the Great Northern War in the early 18th century, a conflict that ended with Estonia under tsarist Russian rule. After the war Tallinn's suburbs were growing quickly as the town was absorbing more and more Russian immigrants. Along with that ...

Ahtri 5 Map
Ph: +372 662 0699/+372 552 2265 · Homepage

Nestled along a street near Tallinn Harbour is this fairytale, wooden church built in 1752 - 55 on the initiative of Russian sailors. St. Simeon's is the second Orthodox church to have sprung up as part of the suburban building boom that followed the Great Northern War. Since the coastline was considerably closer to the city in those days, the church was built practically on the edge of the water, ...

Narva mnt 51 Map
Ph: +372 668 8460/+372 504 2237
keskus@metodistikirik.ee · Homepage

The biggest modern church centre in Estonia (architects Vilen Künnapu and Ain Padrik, interior design Katrin and Argo Vaikla). Wonderful acoustics in the church hall. The centre houses the Theological Seminary of the Estonian Methodist Church.

Pühavaimu 2 Map
Ph: +372 644 1487 · Fax: +372 646 4430
tallinna.puhavaimu@eelk.ee · Homepage

Just off Town Hall Square stands a radiant, white church with an octagonal tower. This is the 14th-century Holy Spirit Church, a spectacular structure both inside and out. The elaborate painted clock on its façade is Tallinn's oldest public timepiece, dating to the late 17th century. But don't miss the carved wood interior which includes such treasures as a unique 15th century altar by the famous ...

Toompea 10 Map
Ph: +372 619 9100 · Fax: +372 631 1363
tallinna.kaarli@eelk.ee · Homepage

Tallinn's grandest 19th-century church, the Kaarli or Charles XI’s Church, sets itself apart with its twin steeples, immense size and neo-Roman style. It was built from 1862 to 1882 as a long overdue replacement for the original Kaarli Church, itself founded in 1670 on the order of Sweden's King Charles XI. Like many wooden structures located outside the city wall, the first Kaarli Church burned ...

Vabaduse väljak 1 Map
Ph: +372 644 6206/+372 5663 4624 · Fax: +372 641 8417
tallinna.jaani@eelk.ee · Homepage

The bright yellow, neo-Gothic church that dominates Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak) is the true survivor among the city's churches. Despite two attempts to tear it down in the last century, it has persevered and is likely to be around for a long time to come. The idea for St. John's first came about in the mid-19th century when the city's growing population of ethnic Estonians made the Holy Spirit ...

Niguliste 3 Map
Ph: +372 631 4330 · Fax: +372 631 4327
niguliste@ekm.ee · Homepage

Saints, dancing skeletons and silver – not to mention the occasional organ concert – are the main attractions at this imposing, 13th-century church. Founded by German merchant/settlers from the island of Gotland sometime around 1230, the sturdy church was designed to double as a fortress in the days before the town wall was built. The building survived the reformationist looting of 1523, but wasn't ...

Vene 24 Map
Ph: +372 644 1945

Find this gorgeous, neoclassical building at the north end of Vene street. The church, with its twin bell towers and copper dome, was designed by St. Petersburg court architect Luigi Rusca and built in 1820-27. The church's history, however, goes back much further. As far back as the 12th century, a marketplace for Russian merchants operated here in the Sulevimäe and Vene St. area of Tallinn. In 1442, ...

Lai 50 Map
Ph: +372 641 2241 · Fax: +372 641 2116
oleviste@oleviste.ee · Homepage

Once upon a time, from 1549 to 1625 to be exact, this 13th-century church was the tallest building in the world. But its gigantic, 159-metre spire, which was probably meant to act as a signpost for approaching ships, also turned out to be a very effective lightning rod. Throughout the church's history its steeple has been hit repeatedly by lightning, completely burning down the structure three times.

Rüütli 9 Map
Ph: +372 644 1938 · Fax: +372 644 1938
rootsi-mihkli@eelk.ee · Homepage

This small church on Rüütli street has been the spiritual home for generations of Estonian Swedes, an ethnic group that's been present in Tallinn since the Middle Ages. The location had originally been an almshouse for the city's poor, but in 1733 the tsarist government gave it to the Swedish congregation, which been left without its own church since the Great Northern War. During Soviet times ...

Toom-Kooli 6 Map
Ph: +372 644 4140 · Fax: +372 644 4140
tallinna.toom@eelk.ee · Homepage

The gleaming, Medieval church that stands at the centre of Toompea hill is best known by locals as the 'Toomkirik' (Dome Church), and it's the main Lutheran church in Estonia. Established sometime before 1233 and repeatedly rebuilt since, the church displays a mix of architectural styles. Its vaulted main body dates to the 14th century, while its baroque tower was an addition from the late 1770s. ...

Karu 16 Map
Ph: +372 662 3050 · Fax: +372 662 3001
rabbi@jewish.ee · Homepage

Established in 2007, Tallinn's synagogue is by far the most modern house of worship in the city. It was a long time coming. During World War II, the Jewish community that had existed in Tallinn was all but wiped out, and its synagogue bombed. In the years following the war, a few native Jews returned to Tallinn, joined by many more Russian Jews, but the Soviet regime had outlawed any open observance ...

Laboratooriumi 22 Map
Ph: +372 641 1963 · Fax: +372 641 1963 · Homepage

The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church makes its home in a curious, little, Medieval building, complete with crooked façade and improbably tiny windows. Find it on a narrow lane that follows the old city wall. Though the Ukrainian congregation has been active in Tallinn since the 17th century, the church is a newcomer to Old Town. The congregation acquired the building a few years back, and through ...

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The Wayfarers' Churches are a group of tourist-friendly churches, chapels and prayer houses located throughout Estonia. Numbering over 200, they keep their doors open to curious visitors during the summer months, making it possible for anyone travelling through the area – religious and non-religious alike – to drop in and have a look around. A special booklet, available at the Tallinn Tourist Information ...