St. Peter and St. Paul's Cathedral

Tallinn, Estonia

St. Peter and St. Paul's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Administration of Estonia. Catholicism was introduced to Estonia by force via the Northern crusades and dominated religious life during the Middle Ages. However, following the Reformation during the 16th century, Lutheranism took its place as the dominant faith, and during the time of Swedish rule in Estonia, Catholicism was banned.

Following Sweden's loss of Estonia to the Russian Empire during the Great Northern War, religious freedom was introduced by the new authorities. In 1799, the Catholic parish had grown large enough to be granted the former refectory of the long-since closed St. Catherine's Monastery as a place of worship on the site of the present church. In 1841, designs were made for a proper new church building for the site, which had grown too small. The architect was the well-known St. Petersburg architect Carlo Rossi. He designed a neo-Gothic basilica, without an apse, with a neo-classical exterior.

Between 1920 and 1924, the main, western façade received its present look, a work by architects Erich Jacoby and Franz de Vries somewhat deviating from Rossi's original façade. The interior of the church still reflects Rossi's design, however the wooden, neo-Gothic decoration has been removed. The cathedral has undergone a series of renovations, the latest in 2002–2003.

The cathedral incorporates several works of art, including works by local Baltic German artists Carl Sigismund Walther, Robert Salemann and a copy of a painting by Guido Reni.

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Address

Vene 18, Tallinn, Estonia
See all sites in Tallinn

Details

Founded: 1845
Category: Religious sites in Estonia
Historical period: Part of the Russian Empire (Estonia)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

John Ngwa (3 years ago)
I pray from here every Saturday. It's such a calm and spirit filled place. If you're visiting Tallinn as a catholic Christian, you can check it out
Andrzej Daniluk (3 years ago)
Nothing special
Vitruvian Vision (Anima) (3 years ago)
A lovely cathedral, and now my source for holy water. People workimg there are nice and friendly. I never attend mass- I usually just pray by myself, or rest in the yard.
Evelin Merima (4 years ago)
Catholic Churts in Estonia, Tallinn, Vene street 18. Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral is active church for Estonian and International people. Masses are held in Estonian, English, Polish, Russian, Latin languages. It is not required to verify the covid infection safety of the people. However, a mask must be worn indoors.
Michael Okonkwo (4 years ago)
Beautiful environment and puts you in a spiritual state of mind
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