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.
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.
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.
Obinitsa Church was built deep in the Soviet era: 1952, when the country was led by Comrade Stalin. The people's desire for a new sanctuary (the old church was given to the school) was so great, that it bypassed the politics of the day. The Obinitsa Church's main holiday is 19 August - The Feast of the Transfiguration - and thousands of people visit the church that day to remember their ancestors and spend time with a relatives. People have been buried in Obinitsa Cemetery for at least 1,500 years. The oldest burials are marked by small stones located in the western part of the cemetery. The well-known Seto singer Hilana Taarka and the creator of the Obinitsa Museum, Lidia Sillaots, are buried in this park-like cemetery.
Church of Blessed Virgin Mary in Torma is a late baroque trapezoidal aisleless church. The completed church was blessed in 1767 and in 1868, it was made more pseudogothic.There is a cup-shaped pulpit and people compare it to Noah’s ship. Services are held at the Church of Blessed Virgin Mary in Torma every Sunday at 11 a.m.
The first prayer house of Old Believers in Estonia is located in Kükita. The Kükita Prayer House was consecrated on September 14, 1740. During the war of 1812, the Cossack Old Believers donated a chandelier to the Prayer House. There were a total of 397 Old Believers in the list of parishioners of the Kükita congregation by 1833. The current Prayer House was built in 1948 in place of the one destroyed in World War II.Old Believers have services every Sunday and on all holidays (Christmas, Pascha and Epiphany).
Tartu St Luke’s Church is a modern sacral building (architect Indrek Allmann), which is located in the Toomemägi area. Interesting facts: - Tartu St Luke’s Church was declared the best new building in Tartu in 2002; - the church is located on the site that used to belong to the famous professor of surgery Zoege von Manteuffel.
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.