St. Olaf’s Church or St. Olav's Church (Estonian: Oleviste kirik) in Tallinn, Estonia, is believed to have been built in the 12th century and to have been the centre for old Tallinn's Scandinavian community before Denmark conquered Tallinn in 1219. Its dedication relates to King Olaf II of Norway (also known as Saint Olaf, 995–1030). The first known written records referring to the church date back to 1267. It was extensively rebuilt during the 14th century.
St. Olaf's Church was originally part of the united western tradition of Christianity, whose polity continues in the Roman Catholic Church today. However, during the Reformation the church became part of the Lutheran tradition. Eventually proving surplus to the requirements of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tallinn, St. Olaf's Church became a Baptist church in 1950.[1][2] The Baptist congregation continues to meet at St. Olaf's today.
From 1944 until 1991, the Soviet KGB used St. Olaf's Church's spire as a radio tower and surveillance point.[3]
Heightedit
In 1590, the total height of the church tower was 115.35–125 m. The tower has been hit by lightning around 10 times, and the whole church has burned down three times throughout its known existence. According to one source it may have been the tallest building in the world from 1549 to 1625. After several rebuildings, its spire is now 123.8 meters tall.[4]
^CONTENTdm Collection : Item Viewer 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
^Guide to Tallinn. Religious sites in Tallinn, Estonia 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
^"Estonian Paper on KGB Eavesdropping Facility". Daily Report: Soviet Union. Rosslyn, VA: Foreign Broadcast Information Service/NTIS: 80. September 6, 1990. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
^Ants Hein (2012). [St. Olaf's Church Never Was the World's Tallest Building]. Imeline Ajalugu. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2014-05-03.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Olaf's Church, Tallinn.
December 12, 2023
olaf, church, tallinn, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2022. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources St Olaf s Church Tallinn news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message St Olaf s Church or St Olav s Church Estonian Oleviste kirik in Tallinn Estonia is believed to have been built in the 12th century and to have been the centre for old Tallinn s Scandinavian community before Denmark conquered Tallinn in 1219 Its dedication relates to King Olaf II of Norway also known as Saint Olaf 995 1030 The first known written records referring to the church date back to 1267 It was extensively rebuilt during the 14th century St Olaf s churchOleviste kirik59 26 29 1 N 24 44 52 1 E 59 441417 N 24 747806 E 59 441417 24 747806LocationTallinnCountryEstoniaDenominationBaptistPrevious denominationRoman Catholic LutheranWebsiteWebsite of the ChurchHistoryStatusActiveFounded12th CenturySpecificationsSpire height124 metres 407 ft Contents 1 History 2 Height 3 See also 4 Images 5 References 6 External linksHistory editSt Olaf s Church was originally part of the united western tradition of Christianity whose polity continues in the Roman Catholic Church today However during the Reformation the church became part of the Lutheran tradition Eventually proving surplus to the requirements of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tallinn St Olaf s Church became a Baptist church in 1950 1 2 The Baptist congregation continues to meet at St Olaf s today From 1944 until 1991 the Soviet KGB used St Olaf s Church s spire as a radio tower and surveillance point 3 Height editIn 1590 the total height of the church tower was 115 35 125 m The tower has been hit by lightning around 10 times and the whole church has burned down three times throughout its known existence According to one source it may have been the tallest building in the world from 1549 to 1625 After several rebuildings its spire is now 123 8 meters tall 4 See also editList of tallest churches List of tallest structures built before the 20th centuryImages edit nbsp Night view nbsp Church portal nbsp Interior nbsp Interior nbsp Interior nbsp Church tower at day nbsp Church tower at night nbsp Spire with cross nbsp The spires of the church nbsp The staircase in the centre of the churchReferences edit CONTENTdm Collection Item Viewer Archived 2013 12 02 at the Wayback Machine Guide to Tallinn Religious sites in Tallinn Estonia Archived 2013 12 03 at the Wayback Machine Estonian Paper on KGB Eavesdropping Facility Daily Report Soviet Union Rosslyn VA Foreign Broadcast Information Service NTIS 80 September 6 1990 Retrieved August 6 2018 Ants Hein 2012 Oleviste pole kunagi olnud maailma korgeim ehitis St Olaf s Church Never Was the World s Tallest Building Imeline Ajalugu Archived from the original on 2013 01 20 Retrieved 2014 05 03 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Olaf s Church Tallinn Tourist Sights in Estonia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title St Olaf 27s Church Tallinn amp oldid 1158724966, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
