Valjala church
Encyclopedia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. It is located in Valjala
Valjala
Valjala is a small borough in Saare County in western Estonia, administrative centre of Valjala Commune.The Valjala church lies in centre of Valjala....
, on the island of Saaremaa
Saaremaa
Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...
.
13th century
Immediately after the conquest of 1227, a stone chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
was erected in Valjala not far from the ancient stronghold. Its walls form the lower part of the present church choir. On the southern side of the chapel, there was a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
.
Soon after completion, the chapel was decorated with mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s, the remaining fragments of which may be seen on the northern wall of the church (six seated apostles in a Romanesque
Romanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
framing). In 1240 construction of the single-nave church was started. The original chapel was transformed into a choir.
At first, Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
forms were maintained: all entrances are round-arched. They were severely damaged, probably during the St. George's Night Uprising
St. George's Night Uprising
St. George’s Night Uprising in 1343–1346 was an unsuccessful attempt by the indigenous Estonian population in the Duchy of Estonia, the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and the insular territories of the State of the Teutonic Order to annihilate the Danish and German rulers and landlords, who had conquered...
, and were later reconstructed. In the construction of the windows and vaults in the upper parts of the building, the pointed arches of the new style can already be seen. The new masters seem to have come from Vamhem in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The room above the vaults was adapted for a refuge: the stairs leading to the loft does not start at ground level: the staircase door on the southern wall of the chancel arch is three metres above the floor. As a result, it could only be reached using a ladder.
14th-17th centuries
In the second half of the 14th century, a new polygonal apseApse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
was added to the church. The tower, which is curiously located above the vestry on the southern side of the church, was probably not completed until the 17th century. In the walls of the tower, fragments of archaic trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
tombstones can be seen. Archaic tombstones of this type have previously only been found in western Estonia. They might originate from the pre-Conquest period.
The Kuressaare
Kuressaare
Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706 Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706...
master, Nommen Lorenzen, made the altarpiece
Altarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
in 1820. Besides a medieval baptismal font, other noteworthy antiques inside the church are two Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
s (of Andreas Fregius, 1664 and Gaspar Berg, 1667).
18th-20th centuries
In 1888, Gustav Normann built the church's organ.In 1922, lightning struck and burned a part of the roof.
Dolores Hoffman, who began work on them in the 1970s, made the stained glass windows. They mark the beginning of a new tradition in Estonian stained glass art.
The western portal
The round-arched western portal is of Romanesque style. The portal has been badly damaged, (probably in the St. George's Night UprisingSt. George's Night Uprising
St. George’s Night Uprising in 1343–1346 was an unsuccessful attempt by the indigenous Estonian population in the Duchy of Estonia, the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and the insular territories of the State of the Teutonic Order to annihilate the Danish and German rulers and landlords, who had conquered...
), and of its original design only the archivolt remains. The splayed jambs, the gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
and the flat frieze lining the archivolt date from later medieval reconstruction.
View from the northeast
The massive walls of the nave, erected between 1240 and 1270, are punctuated with coupled window openings. In contrast with these archaic forms stands the polygonal apse, built in the second half of the 14th century, also probably after the damage of the St. George's Night UprisingSt. George's Night Uprising
St. George’s Night Uprising in 1343–1346 was an unsuccessful attempt by the indigenous Estonian population in the Duchy of Estonia, the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and the insular territories of the State of the Teutonic Order to annihilate the Danish and German rulers and landlords, who had conquered...
(1343–1345). The church, which is constructed of carefully hewn stone blocks, has late Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
forms. The master builders of Central European origin, who built the stronghold of Kuressaare, evidently also worked here.
Interior
The most impressive elements in the interior design of the church are the high domed vaults with WestphalianWestphalian
Westphalian may refer to:* The culture or people of the Westphalia region of Germany* Westphalian language, one of the major dialect groups of West Low German* Westphalian sovereignty, a concept in international relations* Westphalian , in geology...
ribs and bosses. A ridge in the wall and the remains of girders are evidence of a defense gallery that once ran beneath the windows of the nave. The doorway in the intrados of the chancel arch led to the loft, which served as a refuge.
Baptismal font
The late Romanesque baptismal fontBaptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
of Valjala church is one of the oldest pieces of carved stonework in Estonia. It is believed that the font was originally made for Haapsalu Cathedral and only later brought to Saaremaa. The font is decorated with late Romanesque tendrils
Tendrils
Tendrils is an irregular collaboration between noted Australian guitarists, Joel Silbersher and Charlie Owen. A difficult sound to describe, Tendrils features two seemingly chaotic but strangely melodic and complementary, guitar parts and occasionally stripped back percussion.Starting out billed...
. Similar decor can be seen in Riga Cathedral (for example, on its northern portal). Both were the work of the same master, probably of Westphalian origin.