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Otepää St. Mary's Lutherian Church
Otepää is one of the oldest settlements in Estonia, first mentioned in Russian chronicles in 1116. On the Linnamägi (Town Hill), located next to the church, you will find the Otepää fortress, which has been standing there for over a thousand years and was the most important fortress in the ancient Ugala. A Bishop's Castle and two churches were built on the hill in 1224 on the initiative of Hermann the I, the Bishop of Tartu. One of the churches, the one meant for Estonians, was located outside of the walls of the fortress. Unfortunately we do not know when exactly the Bishop's Castle and churches were destroyed. In 1671 a new church was constructed and in 1850 the interior of the church was repaired and the choir balcony was built. The pipe organ was built in 1852 in Tartu, in the workshop of a well-known organ builder named Kessler. The tower of the church was built in 1860 and the current facade of the church originates from the total reconstruction done in 1890. The altarpiece "Kristus ristil" ("Christ on the cross") was done in 1880. Electricity was installed in the sacred building in 1938. In 1806 a limestone gravestone of general Rennenkampf was placed under the left hand choir. Also note the lock of the first door that dates back to 1772. The bell of Otepää Church was donated by H. Billinghausen and S. Taube. A new bell was given to the church in 1992 as a gift from the Vihti parish in Finland. The architecture of the church is new-gothic and it has a 51 meter tower. Some Interesting Facts: The Otepää St. Mary's (Maarja) Lutheran church is historically linked to the Estonian national flag. On June 4, 1884 the blue-black-white coloured flag of the Estonian Students' Society was consecrated in the hall of Otepää pastor's mansion. The flag later became the civil flag of Estonia and as of 1992 it is the national flag of the Republic of Estonia. The bas-reliefs depicting the birth of the Estonian flag are displayed on the walls of the church and on the stone columns by the side of the entrance. Concerts are held in the church of Otepää, and in summer it is open as a Wayfarers' church. In winter the services are held in the Winter Church.
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Otepää St. Mary's Lutherian Church - Public Info
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Inserted: 14-08-2022 17:08:59
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