St Peter and St Paul's Cathedral, Tallinn

Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul
The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Püha Peetruse ja Pauluse katedraalis

Façade of the Cathedral
59°26′17″N 24°44′55″E / 59.43806°N 24.74861°E / 59.43806; 24.74861
Location Tallinn
Country Estonia
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Founded 1841
Consecrated 26 December 1845
Architecture
Status Active
Functional status Cathedral and Parish church
Architect(s) Carlo Rossi (architect), Erich Jacoby, Franz de Vries
Architectural type Basilica
Style Neo-Classical and Neo-Gothic
Completed 1844
Administration
Parish Tallinn
Province Estonia
Clergy
Bishop(s) Philippe Jean-Charles Jourdan
Rector Alfonso Di Giovanni
Vicar(s) Igor Gavrilchik, Ain Peetrus Leetma

St. Peter and St. Paul's Cathedral, Tallinn is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Tallinn, Estonia.

History and architecture

Interior

Catholicism was introduced to Estonia by force via the Northern crusades and dominated religious life during the Middle Ages. However, following the Reformation during the 16th century, Lutheranism took its place as the dominant faith, and during the time of Swedish rule in Estonia, Catholicism was banned.[1]

Following Sweden's loss of Estonia to the Russian Empire during the Great Northern War, religious freedom was introduced by the new authorities. In 1799, the Catholic parish had grown large enough to be granted the former refectory of the long-since closed St. Catherine's monastery as a place of worship on the site of the present church. In 1841, designs were made for a proper new church building for the site, which had grown too small. The architect was the well-known St. Petersburg architect Carlo Rossi. He designed a neo-Gothic basilica, without an apse, with a neo-classical exterior. Between 1920 and 1924, the main, western façade received its present look, a work by architects Erich Jacoby and Franz de Vries somewhat deviating from Rossi's original façade. The interior of the church still reflects Rossi's design, however the wooden, neo-Gothic decoration has been removed. The cathedral incorporates several works of art, including works by local Baltic German artists Carl Friedrich Sigismund Walther, Robert Johann Salemann and a copy of a painting by Guido Reni. The cathedral has undergone a series of renovations, the latest in 2002–2003.[2][3][4]

References

  1. ↑ "The History of Catholicism in Estonia". Roman Catholicism in Estonia. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  2. ↑ Abiline, Toomas. St. Peter and St. Paul's Cathedral in Tallinn (PDF). The Apostolic Administration of Estonia. pp. 4–8. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  3. ↑ "The History of Catholicism in Estonia". Roman Catholicism in Estonia. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  4. ↑ "Roman-Catholic Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul". Tallinn Tourism. Retrieved 2 April 2013.

Coordinates: 59°26′17″N 24°44′55″E / 59.43806°N 24.74861°E / 59.43806; 24.74861

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