Charles XI’s Church (Kaarli Church), Tallinn

The Charles XI’s Church is one of the grand things to see in downtown Tallinn, Estonia. It is an immense building, sporting twin steeples and a neo-Roman style of architecture. You can see the building from all over town.

It was built over a twenty year period that ended in 1882. The location was a replacement church for the original Kaarli Church of 1670. The original was a wooden church which burned during the Great Northern War in the early 1700s.

The architect for the project was the famous Otto Pius Hippius, who was from Saint Petersburg. He designed the present limestone rock church using a special arch technique that gave it have a vast, open interior.

Because of the soft nature of limestone used in construction, as well as the vast open space of the sanctuary, there are wonderful acoustics in this old church. Add a seating capacity of 1,500, and you have the making of a venue for choral concerts, and that in fact is the case here.

The Kaarli Church is home to the first Estonian fresco ever painted. It is called, “Come to Me,” and was done in 1879 by the famous Estonian artist Johann Köler. It also boasts the country's largest church organ, installed in 1924.