Vikipeedia:GLAM/Estonia-Poland relations/9

Lisa lingid
Allikas: Vikipeedia
Story 1   Story 2   Story 3   Story 4   Story 5   Story 6   Story 7   Story 8   Story 9   Story 10    

The Roman Catholic Church in Estonia[muuda lähteteksti]

During the interwar period, ethnic minority groups made up a tiny fraction of the Estonian population. On the contrary, most Estonian Catholics were ethnic or russified Poles, e.g. soldiers and civil servants. Many chose to leave Estonia after it became independent in the wake of the First World War. Another reason was the Constituent Assembly's declaration on May 28, 1919, which gave Lutheranism the status of state religion.

21st century Estonia is quite atheistic – there is no state church or religious education in schools, and a large part of the population identifies themselves as atheist. Looking at pictures of Estonian villages and streets, Lutheran churches are often the most glaring buildings. However, there are also a handful of Roman Catholic churches in Estonia, which are closely connected with the Poles living here or their ancestors. In this text, Roman Catholic church built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which were closely linked to the growth of the Polish population living here, are discussed.

Tartu Catholic Church

The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Tartu was built near Tähtvere Park in the years 1862...1895–1899. As the First World War began in 1914, the church could not be completed. Among the people, this shrine was called the Polish Church.

A memorial service of Polish First Marshall Józef Piłsudski on May, 1935.

Although the city of Tartu is adorned with about 20 churches, it is the only Roman Catholic church in the city. It is also noteworthy that on Sunday morning the Mass in the Church of the Virgin Mary is held first in Polish and Russian and only then in Estonian.

Interestingly, there was a memorial service on the occasion of Józef Piłsudski's death in May 1935. In addition to the local Poles, the mayor of Tartu Aleksander Tõnisson, the Polish consul Johan Sepp, the Swedish consul and several high-ranking members of the Defense Forces also took part in the service. Memorial services dedicated to Pilsudski were also held in Catholic churches of other Estonian cities, such as Tallinn and Narva.

The Roman Catholic Church of Holy Spirit in Valga

The Roman Catholic Church of Holy Spirit in Valga.

Another one of the few Roman Catholic churches in Estonia is located in the border town of Valga. The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit (formerly the Church of John the Baptist) was completed in 1907. After Valga got a railway connection at the end of the 19th century, the number of Catholics in the city increased to 400. Both Lithuanian and Polish railwaymen took part in the construction of the Valga Catholic Church. During the First World War, their numbers grew since there were many Lithuanians and Poles among the railwaymen. The church does not have a tower because the Russian tsarist government did not give permission to erect it. After the end of the war in 1918, the number of church members dropped to about 50. The congregation of Valga was an auxiliary congregation of the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in Tartu. During the Soviet era, the fate of the Church of the Holy Spirit was similar to that of most other churches: it was used as a warehouse and gym. In addition, Catholics suffered persecution, which further reduced their numbers. The church was restored in 1990. From the 1980s, the church was without a roof, and its general condition was rather uncertain. After the restoration of the republic, restoration work was carried out in the church, and in 1995, after a break of several decades, a Christmas Mass was held. Today the church is located on Maleva Street.

St. Anthony's Church in Narva which was damaged by Red Army’s artillery fire in 1919.

St. Anthony's Church in Narva

The history of the Narva Catholic community is similar to that of the one in Valga. At the end of the 19th century, about a thousand weavers, including many Catholics, arrived from the Polish city of Łódź. In 1873, Polish Catholics bought themselves a two storey house, where they could hold services. Soon, however, the premises were became too small for the growing community, and in 1900 the Narva City Council allocated free land to the congregation. The cornerstone of the church was built in 1903 and in 1907 the church was consecrated to St. Anthony.

The church sustained damage in the Red Army artillery fire during the Estonian War of Independence, but this did not become fatal for the church: only the apse tower of the temple fell. Masses took place regularly until 1944, when the city's population was evacuated. During the Second World War, only the roof of the church was damaged. Although the church was able to withstand three wars and the March bombing (after World War II, only 198 of the 3,550 buildings in Narva were eligible for restoration), the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics ended up being fatal to the church. Namely, the sailing regatta took place in Tallinn, and thus it was feared that those arriving across the Narva River would see the ruins of the church as the first thing in the city. Therefore, it was decided to completely demolish the ruins of the church. Today, there is once again a Catholic congregation in Narva.

Sources[muuda lähteteksti]

Pärit leheküljelt "https://et.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vikipeedia:GLAM/Estonia-Poland_relations/9&oldid=5688874"