Roman Catholic Church of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Miikse St. John the Baptist Church is a small wooden Orthodox church located in the southeastern corner of Estonia in Setomaa. What makes this church special is its story. It was built in 1953, during the Soviet era, when religion and church construction were not encouraged. However, the local people took a bold step and built the church themselves, often working in the evenings and at night to avoid the authorities' attention. Today, Miikse Church is once again a symbol of the strength and perseverance of the Seto community, where the local community restored the dilapidated sanctuary into a new and striking Seto church. The altar and icons were preserved, but the new facade features a lace-like pattern using Seto colors (red, blue, and sheep's wool white) and Seto belt patterns. The church's surroundings also include an old cemetery and sacred stones, which lend the place a special historical and spiritual atmosphere. The church is open once a month during service, and at other times, access can be arranged by agreement with the church elder (who communicates in Estonian and Russian). For a foreign-language tour of Setomaa, we recommend booking a local guide.

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.

The big beautiful prayer house in Varnja Village on the shores of Lake Peipus was funded and built by the congregation itself. Most of the many icons of the prayer house date back to the start of the 20th century.Visitors can only enter the church with a reservation.The cost of a single visit for a group starts from 50 euros. Visitors get an interesting overview of the life and history of the Old Believers from a local guide who is also an Old Believer. The excursion may last for about an hour - the visit and a warm experience are worth it!Reminder: Women are asked to enter the prayer house with a covered head.We ask you not to take photos or videos in the prayer house.

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).

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.

An orthodox congregation was established in Tartu in 1845 and Priest Joosep Shestakovski (1856–1888) initiated the building of an orthodox church. Tartu Saint George the Martyr Church was built using donations from the congregation and it was consecrated in honour of Saint George by Bishop of Riga and Mitav Benjamin in 1870.

Tartu Old Believers Prayer House is a small and cosy house of God in the hall under the tower of a large and impressive prayer house destroyed by bombing during the war. This is the only part of the house the congregation has managed to restore by today. You can also see icons from the 19th century and the works of local 20th century icon painters in the Tartu Old Believers Prayer House.Service in Russian takes place at 10 a.m. on Sundays.

Of the Orthodox churches in Võru County, Ritsiku church in Mõniste is the second oldest (dating back to 1855). The oldest is St Catherine's Church in Võru itself.The church in Ritsiku was consecrated in the name of the prophet John the Baptist. Its name day is celebrated by the congregation every year on 24 June.The congregation was established in 1837. The church was constructed from timber and has a tin roof. It was originally known as Mõniste church, since it was located on the lands of the Mõniste estate. But since it was not in Mõniste itself, it was renamed Ritsiku church in Mõniste.The sacristan and parson did a lot of work in educating the local community. Until 1931 the congregation had its own parish school and three smaller schools.