Be Inspired

As in many former Soviet socialist republics, much of the Belarusian religious heritage has been destroyed. Despite the repression of the Orthodox faith during the long Soviet era (1920-1991), some Orthodox cathedrals survived abandonment and dilapidation.

It is not commonly known that the capital of Belarus once stood at the crossroads of an ethnically diverse Eastern Europe, which has left its mark on the city’s religious architecture.

Belarus, a land of plains and forests, has hundreds of beautiful wooden churches. These vernacular monuments of different sizes, shapes and colours inherit the rich sacred architecture of Orthodox and Greek-Catholic origin.

Little or nothing is known about the Master of Pernå, a master builder, probably of German origin, who worked from the 1430s to the 1460s. However, this church builder has left an important trace in the Finnish religious heritage as he is known to be the builder of some of the most beautiful medieval churches in Finland.

Although the buildings in Helsinki are not a thousand years old, its religious buildings display the diversity of modern architecture, of which Helsinki is one of the world's capitals.

The city of Tallinn, whose medieval centre is listed by UNESCO, is visited for its castle, art museum, but also for its churches, which bear witness to the city's rich history through their diversity.

The second-largest city in Estonia boasts a beautiful historic centre, a prestigious university, and wonderful churches. We have selected a few of them, all walking distance from one another.

While rather modest compared to other Baltic countries, Estonia's sacred wooden heritage is no less surprising because of its high quality and diversity.

Churches of Estonia are indicative of the rich history of the country, marked by successive occupations by Scandinavian merchants, German religious orders and neighbouring Russians. The beautiful island of Saaremaa contains an extremely well-preserved and representative sample of Estonia's rich sacred heritage.

Crypts are among the oldest Christian religious constructions. Their lack of daylight and the frequent presence of tombs also make them a spooky place in popular culture. But far from being a sordid place, crypts can be real architectural gems, as in the following cases.