Pindi church in Lasva

Construction of the Tartu Uspenski Cathedral started by the order of Peter I after the Northern War and it was consecrated in 1783. The church was established on the foundation of the Dominican Convent Church. It was initially built in the shape of a cross and was given its quadrangular shape in 1840. Interesting facts: - a chapel to St Isidor, who died as a martyr, was established in the church in the course of its extension; ‑ the Bolsheviks killed 19 innocent people in the cellar of Krediidikassa 80 years ago. Their victims, archpriests Bleive and Berzhanitski, are buried in Uspenski Church.

The patron saint of the Värska Orthodox Church is St. George. The most important church holiday is St. George's Day, which is celebrated in Setomaa on May 6 and culminates with the afternoon kirmaski, or village party. The church was built with money from the community, and the original iconostasis from the beginning of the 20th century has been preserved, part of which is an icon of St. George painted on a tree in the 17th century. The church also has several handmade holy shawls. Värska cemetery is next to the church, and several important Seto cultural figures are buried there.

Come and see one of the biggest and oldest country churches in Estonia – Võnnu St Jacob’s Church. Church was built 1232-1236. The altar of the church is adorned by the painting ‘Christ on the Cross' (Otto von Moeller, 1873). Several buildings of the rectory (19th century) are architectural monuments. The church is surrounded by a 2 ha park established in the beginning of the 19th century.Interesting facts: - the organ of Võnnu Church (1895) is considered one of the clearest sounding instruments in Estonia; - the classicist tomb monument to R von Nolcken, who fell in the Battle of Borodino, can be seen in the church (sculptor Paolo Triscorni).

When in Kasepää Village near Lake Peipus, go and visit the prayer house of Russian Old Believers, which has been operating without interruption since the 18th century.The current prayer house was built at the beginning of the 20th century. It was designed by the governorate architect Wilhelm Schilling in 1902. The Florov school masters renewed the icons of the iconostasis in the prayer house before the Second World War. Some of the icons in the chapel date back as far as to the 17th century.Prayers are held in the chapel in Russian on Sundays at 10 a.m.

A black granite memorial tablet bearing almost 200 names was installed on the wall of the Valga Jaani (St John’s) Church in 1934 in remembrance of the Finnish volunteers who fell in the Paju Battle of the War of Independence. The polar bear sign of the Northern Sons Regiment is shown on the shield above the stone. In 1940 the memorial tablet was demolished with pickaxes by the order of communists. The memorial tablet was reopened on the 80th anniversary of the Paju Battle in 1999.Interesting facts: * the memorial tablet was opened in 1934 by President Konstantin Päts; * the first table was made in Finland and the second one in Tartu; * donations for the second tablet were collected by Ylistaro Rural Municipality (Finland) at the initiative of Ossi Salo.

28,000 silver roubles were donated towards the construction of this Lutheran church by Russian empress Catherine II. It was blessed on 24 July 1793, when it received the name 'Catherine'. It is thought that the church - which was designed in early classicist style with baroque roots and which boasts stunning arched windows - was designed by the architect Christoph Haberlandt from Riga. Renovations in 1879 saw its tower receive a new dome, and a four-faced clock was also installed. The church has an organ built by the Kriisa brothers in 1913. You can visit the church on Sundays during mass times.

It is believed that the Raja congregation of Old Believers was established in the first quarter of the 18th century. The congregation was given permission to build its own church only in 1879. The church was destroyed during the Second World War – the only thing left is the belfry. The present worship house has 11 rooms. In 1854–1930 Gavriil Frolov lived in the worship house. He taught children icon-writing, reading and writing in Old-Slavic, also singing based on old musical notation.

The Winter Church is located in a converted auxiliary building of the old church manor and is used mostly in the winter period. It is a small and cosy church that was built largely with the money donated from Finland. The church was consecrated on 6 December 1992 – the Independence Day of Finland. The consecrated name of the winter church is the Widow and Orphan Chapel. It is dedicated to widows because they were the ones who kept the church alive with their small salaries in the Soviet times. The blue, black and white flag of the Estonian Student Union, which later became the national flag and in 1991 the official flag of the state of Estonia, was consecrated in the rectory of the church next to it