| Kihelkonna St. Michael's Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Kihelkonna St. Michael's Church | |
| 58°21′36″N22°02′08″E / 58.36000°N 22.03556°E Coordinates: 58°21′36″N22°02′08″E / 58.36000°N 22.03556°E | |
| Country | Estonia |
| Denomination | Lutheran |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 1250 |
| Founder(s) | Livonian Order Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic |
Kihelkonna St. Michael's Church, (Estonian : Kihelkonna Mihkli kirik) sometimes simply Kihelkonna Church, is a medieval Lutheran church on Saaremaa island in western Estonia.
The church was founded sometime around 1250 as a joint undertaking by both the Livonian Order and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek as a part of crusader efforts to Christianise Estonia. The church was built at a strategic location, by a harbour of some importance and at a road connecting western Saaremaa with the rest of Estonia. Originally, the church was designed to have a western tower but after a rebellion in 1260–1261, at which time the church was still unfinished, the plans were scrapped. The present-day tower only dates from 1899. Apart from the tower, the building of the church finished sometime in the later 1260s. [1] [2]
Of the original medieval furnishing, very little remains. The interior is dominated by high, white-washed vaults. The altarpiece dates from 1591, and depicts the last supper. In addition, the church has a fine organ and a carved epitaph dating from 1650 by a local carpenter, Balthasar Raschky. [2]
The exterior of the church is today dominated by the neo-Gothic tower, but the church also has an external bell-tower, dating from 1638. Such free-standing belfries were once quite popular in Estonia, but today the one at Kihelkonna church is the only one surviving. [1] [2]
Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring 2,673 km2 (1,032 sq mi). The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and west of Muhu island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago. The capital of the island is Kuressaare, which in January 2018 had 13,276 inhabitants. The whole island had a recorded population in January 2020 of 31,435.
Saint Martin's Church of Valjala is a Lutheran church in Valjala, on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia. It is the oldest stone church on Saaremaa and possibly the oldest surviving church in Estonia.
Pöide Parish was a municipality in Saare County, Estonia. The municipality covered an area of 123.6 km² (47.7 mi²) and had a population of 953.
Kihelkonna is a small borough in Saare County, on the western part of Saaremaa Island, Estonia. It was the administrative centre of Kihelkonna Parish.
This article covers the architecture of Estonia.
Kaarma-Kirikuküla is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia. As of 2011 Census, the settlement's population was 18.
Abaja is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Kiirassaare is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Kõõru is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Kuumi is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Pidula-Kuusiku is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Läägi is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Kihelkonna-Liiva is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Loona is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Kõruse-Metsaküla is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Neeme is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Odalätsi is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Püha is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Estonia.
Karja Church is a medieval Lutheran church located in Linnaka village on Saaremaa island, Estonia. It is the rural church with the richest medieval stone sculpture decoration in all the Baltic states.
Saaremaa Municipality, also known as Saaremaa Rural Municipality, is a municipality in Saare County in western Estonia. It is the largest municipality in Estonia by land area. The administrative centre of the municipality is its only town Kuressaare.
Media related to Kihelkonna Church at Wikimedia Commons