St. John’s Church, Tallinn

Saint John’s Church is located in Freedom Square in downtown Tallinn, Estonia. It is also one of the most visual of all churches in town, having been built of brightly colored yellow brick in a neo-Gothic style. It is also a bit of a lucky building, as it has survived two attempts so far to tear it down.

The need for the new church began in the mid 1800s, when it became clear that the Holy Spirit Church was becoming too small to house the growing ethnic worshipping population of Estonia. So at the advice of the Pastor of the Holy Spirit Church, the new congregation and building was named after Saint John the Evangelist. It seemed quite appropriate for a growing church.

The construction of the new church was completed in 1867, and was supervised by the famous Estonian architect Christoph August Gabler. The construction of the new church was tricky to say the least, as the grounds for the church used to be the old moat for the town. So, very large, thick Oak Trees were buried in the ground here to help shore up the earth.

During the 1930s, many newer art deco style buildings were erected around Freedom Square, leaving the old church looking a bit out of place. So far though, no one has been able to get that task done.