Muhu St. Catherine's Church, () sometimes simply Muhu Church, is a medieval

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church on

Muhu Muhu (also called Muhumaa in Estonian) is an island in the West Estonian archipelago of the Baltic Sea. With an area of , it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. Together with neighbouring smaller i ...

island, in

Saare County Saare County ( or ''Saaremaa''; ; ; ; ) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It consists of Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it, most notably Muhu, Ruhnu, Abruka and Vilsandi. The county borders Lääne Count ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

History

The church was founded by the master of the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

Otto von Lutterberg Otto von Lutterberg (died 16 February 1270) was the Landmeister of the Livonian Order of the Teutonic Knights from 1267 to 1270. History The Battle of Rakvere took place during his command of the Livonian Order, when on February 18, 1268, the ...

in 1267. The founding of the church is mentioned in a medieval chronicle by

Hermann von Wartberge Hermann von Wartberge (died ca. 1380) was a chronicler of the Livonian Order. Born in Westphalia, Wartberge was a Catholic priest and author of the valuable Latin chronicle ''Chronicon Livoniale'' covering the history of the Livonian Crusade from ...

. The first church was probably made of wood and only replaced by the current stone building in the final years of the 13th century. It was built in stages, with the walls of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

constructed first. The master builders involved with building the nearby

Karja church Karja Church () is a medieval Lutheran church located in the Linnaka village on Saaremaa island, Estonia. It is the rural church with the richest medieval stone sculpture decoration in all the Baltic states. History The origins of the church ...

were apparently also at work here, as their builders' marks have been found in the stones used to construct the church. A window in the west wall and the base of the altar dates from this period. Somewhat later are the murals, and considerably later are both the pulpit (1629, by Balthasar Raschky) and the retable (1827). The church suffered damage throughout history. It was damaged by a fire in 1640, and during the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

. In 1941, the church was bombed in a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

air raid and that destroyed the roof, which was not replaced until 1958. The period without a proper roof, coupled with unsuccessful attempts at restoration during the

Soviet times The history of the Soviet Union (USSR) (1922–91) began with the ideals of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and ended in dissolution amidst economic collapse and political disintegration. Established in 1922 following the Russian Civil War, ...

, resulted in irreparable damage to the murals of the church. Following Estonia's re-establishment of independence in 1991, a proper renovation was carried out with substantial financial aid from

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Architecture

The church is one of the simplest in form of the medieval churches of the

West Estonian archipelago The West Estonian archipelago (, also Moonsund archipelago) is a group of Estonian islands located in the Baltic Sea around Väinameri. The total area is about . The archipelago is composed of the islands Saaremaa, Hiiumaa, Muhu, Vormsi and ab ...

. It is a single-

church, with high whitewashed vaults and a simple

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

, and lacking both tower and sacristy. The church also lacks the relatively rich carved-stone décor which can be found in comparable churches nearby, e.g. Valjala church. The most notable feature of the church is the mural paintings. These were discovered only in 1913, when plaster from the time of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

was removed. The murals depict scenes from the

Last Judgement The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

. It is thought that the artist came from

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

, as the murals show strong similarities with paintings from the island from the same time. The influence of

Byzantine art Byzantine art comprises the body of artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome, decline of western Rome and ...

is noticeable. Unfortunately, only fragments remain today.

Gallery

Muhu Katariina kirik.JPG, Church Muhu St Catharine's Church.JPG, Main gate Muhu Katariina kirik, altar.JPG, Altar Muhu Katariina kirik, sisevaade.JPG, Interior Muhu kiriku maalingud 1.jpg, Murals Muhu Katariina kirik, kirikukell.JPG, Bell Muhu Church by Paul Raud.jpg, ''Muhu kirik'' by

Paul Raud Paul Raud ( in Kirikuküla, Viru-Jaagupi Parish – 22 November 1930 in Tallinn) was an Estonian painter. Life and works The twin brother of painter Kristjan Raud, he studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf beginning in 1886, becoming influe ...

(1898)

References

External links

* {{Churches in Saare County, Estonia Lutheran churches in Estonia Muhu Parish Buildings and structures in Saare County 13th-century churches in Estonia 13th-century establishments in Estonia Gothic architecture in Estonia Tourist attractions in Saare County Kreis Ösel

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links