After the Second World War, the Baptist congregations in Tartu joined the only remaining Baptist church: the Kolgata congregation, whose chapel was opened in 1931.In 2013, the congregation moved from the old prayer house located in Karlova district to a modern church building (completed in 1995) at the edge of the centre of the city due to lack of space. The first service in the building on Veski Street took place on 10 November 2013, when the Kolgata congregation celebrated its 112th anniversary.The congregation belongs to the Union of Evangelical Christian and Baptist Churches of Estonia. Services in Estonian are held on Sundays at 11 a.m. and in Russian at 1 p.m.
You will find this historicist red-brick church (architect Arved Eichorn), which is the first new church built in the Republic of Estonia, in the peaceful little town Elva. Tartu St John’s Congregation used to operate in Elva for some time. This is why some details of the Elva Church remind of Tartu St John’s Church – the rarely used plaster and brick imitation of a rose window on the western wall of the church refers to the medieval rose window that can be found in Tartu St John’s Church.
Baroque architecture in concordance with pseudo Gothic architecture (alteration by Johann Gottfired Mühlhausen). Twelve small spiring pinnacles symbolise the twelve apostles of Jesus. The church manor is a historical parochial centre; there is a museum in the vicarage (built in 1817).
Pindi Jaani (St. John's) church was built according to the plan by architect J. G. Mühlhausen. The church was consecrated in 1881. A massive tower stands In the western part of the rectangular church, the vestry is in the north-eastern part. The altarpiece is a copy of the one in Rõuge church, "Jesus on the cross" by Rudolf von zur Mühlen. The new organ built by the brothers Kriisa was consecrated in 1903.The grave and monument of Captain Friedrich Vreeman (1894–1919), who was killed in the Estonian War of Independence, are in the church cemetery. Service is held Sundays at 10.30.Useful information: Laine Villenthal, who was the first woman ordained as a minister in Estonia, served in Pindi church until 2004.
In Nõo, you can visit the only rural church with genuine medieval arches (13th century) in Southern Estonia. The church has a wooden tower (1879) and pseudo-gothic furnishings from the 19th century. You will see the altar painting Christ on the Cross by Tõnis Grenzstein from 1895, four wooden sculptures of apostles (Jaan Koort, 1910), two organs – Walcker (large, 1890) and Müllverstedt (small, 1903), and the bust of Martin Lipp (1854–1923), a long-time teacher of the congregation and the author of the lyrics of the song of the Estonian flag.In the summer months, Nõo Church participates in the Estonian Council of Churches' Wayfarers' Churches project.Services take place every Sunday at 11 a.m.
The medieval Rõngu St Michael's Church is dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The church is also known as the oldest building in Rõngu.The church has suffered major damage in several wars, and over time, the original architecture has been partially altered during the restorations. The current shape of the church dates from the last reconstruction in 1901.Today, the most significant parts of the church are the altarpiece (1901, the work of a Dresden artist), the organ (V. Müllverstedt, 1874), and the stained-glass windows (1900, the work of Riga artists).The church participates in both the 'Wayfarers' Churches' and the 'Night of Churches' programme.The church can be visited on Sundays during the service or by prior arrangement.
The church was built of natural stone and bricks in 1907. Lithuanian and Polish railway workers were actively involved in building the church. The church operated until 1940 and from 1945, the building was used as a warehouse and later as a gym.The extension of the church was built in 1995 and the church was renovated. Interesting facts: * the church does not have a tower as the imperial government of Russia refused to give permission to build one.
The Apostolic Orthodox Church in Rannu (Rannu Orthodox Church) was built during 1899-1901 and consecrated on 5 May 1905 to celebrate Jesus going to Jerusalem. Therefore the church is also called the Rannu Church of the Lord Going to Jerusalem.The activities of the Orthodox congregation were terminated in 1961 and the church was used as the warehouse of the Rannu collective farm. In the 1980s, Rannu State Farm decided to make amends for the injustice and restored the church. The church has been previously used as a concert venue due to its excellent acoustics.Currently the church is not used for services.