Be Inspired

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.

Many of us may think we know what a cathedral is, "an important religious building, being the centre of a bishopric and dating from the Middle Ages". Yet the definition is not as simple as it seems. In order to clarify what a cathedral is, we offer you a short history of these unique buildings.

Organs contribute to the magical atmosphere of the churches. These massive instruments, perched as if by a miracle, are works of art made for centuries by a true artisanal elite.

The Spanish Reconquista compromised the preservation of a Muslim heritage in Western Europe, but the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire from Eastern Europe in the 18th century did not lead to the systematic destruction of the surviving mosques in the Balkan Peninsula, where many Muslims still live.

The construction of dams in the 20th century led to the engulfment of entire villages all over Europe. In a few rare cases, their location can be guessed from their churches, parts of which remain above water, giving the strange sight of partially sunken churches.

The chapels of castles are often moving testimonies of the life of the chatelains, and bear the traces of their weddings, coronations or burials. If you visit these castles, don't forget to take a look at their chapels!