Dominican Monastery (Tallinn)

Dominican Monastery of Holy Catarina (now - Latin Quarter ) - The oldest Catholic monastery in Estonia . It was founded in the XIII century by the Order of the Brothers of the Preachers in honor of St. Catherine of Alexandria on the territory of the present Lower City of Tallinn ( Revel ). The ruins of the monastery are today between the streets of Vienna (Russian), Munga and Muirivache .

History and Preservation of the Monastery

At the beginning of the XIII century, the land of modern Estonia was captured by Danish and German crusaders . The Christianization of the Estonians immediately began. In 1219, the Catholic clergy, led by Archbishop Andreas Lund , the Bishop of Estonia Theodorik, and two other bishops, arrived in Tallinn with the Danish King Valdemar II . Following them in 1229, Dominicans appeared here, who founded the monastery at first in Vyshgorod . Due to the strife of the Danish and German knights, the Dominicans had to leave this place.

In 1246, the preacher brothers returned to Vyshgorod, and in 1260 they moved to the Lower City, where they began to build a church, around which the monastery later grew. Church of St. Catherine was built until the XVI century.

The monastery was built like a convention house - its main premises formed a closed rectangular courtyard with an internal gallery around the perimeter: in the south - a church, in the north - a refectory , in the west - a dormitorium , in the east - a chapel .

The scheme of the ruins of the monastery.

The Dominican monastery developed along with other monasteries that later appeared in Tallinn and in general with church life, which could have developed in the center of the diocese ( Northern Estonia was part of it), which Tallinn became. The cathedral, which was first founded by Dominican monks, was completed, and it became the residence of the bishop. Today, this cathedral, known as Domsky , is the architectural dominant of Old Tallinn.

The monks of the Dominican monastery learned the Estonian language , later the brethren of the monastery replenished at the expense of natives of the local population and the monastery gradually became the center of Estonian culture, enriching Estonian literature, translations from Latin and other languages.

There was a school at the monastery, in which they taught literacy and studied Scripture. This school became the reason for the well-known feud with the Dome Cathedral about the privilege of teaching, which ended only after a special decision of the pope. During the Reformation, the preacher brothers left the monastery and its buildings were used by the city for various purposes, including for the school, for the placement of hired Polish troops and under the almshouse. However, after the fire of 1531, the monastery’s buildings were no longer used (except for the barn), only its territory was gradually built up with new houses.

In 1525, the Lutheran Reformation was carried out in the region. Dominicans were expelled from the city, and their property was confiscated, monastic life in the walls of the monastery ceased. As a result of the fire, the church of St. Catherine completely burned out. Most of the monastery premises suffered from the fire, the remnants of which eventually deteriorated and collapsed.

In 1710, Tallinn became a Russian city, the life of the Catholic community, which received official status in 1799 , gradually began to revive. It was on the territory of the former Dominican monastery that the Catholics of Tallinn settled.

In the former refectory of the monastery, Catholic services began to be held. The priests and administrators at the new Catholic parish were the newly arrived Dominicans, who completely carried out pastoral and missionary activities until 1860 , until new parishes were opened.

The following premises have been preserved (the list is incomplete): the chapter, the western part of the church with two portals, a crypt , a scriptorium . Also preserved is the barn, rebuilt after the Reformation in the Arsenal . The refectory was rebuilt in 1845 by the goba in the Catholic Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul (Tallinn) . What remains of the church is used under the chamber vocal and musical hall, under the supervision of Hopner House . In the Katarina lane , which was formed only in the 20th century, tombstones of the rich people of the city are fixed on the church wall. The oldest stove - 1381, Kunigunda Schottelmund, wife of the burgomaster Revel.

Gravestones and ethics (precautionary stones) made of limestone are exhibited in the church and cross passages.

Convent Modernity

Tenants of preserved and restored monastery buildings

Today, the former institution is used by the following institutions:

• Mauritius Institute ^{[1] [2]} , a non-profit enterprise (MTÜ) - the organization provides guided tours of the ruins. It positions itself as an institution for studying the life and heritage of the prior / monk of Mauritius (Mauritius), presumably a student of Albert the Great .
• “Museum of the Dominican Monastery” ( Est. Dominiiklaste Kloostri Muuseum ^[3] ) - the organization offers theatrical evening tours of the ruins of the monastery.
• Hopneri Maja has opened St. Catherine’s Church and cloister of the monastery since June 2014 to the public, free of charge. Opening hours: 10.00-18.00, Wed-Sun.
• The workshop of the artist Alexander Savchenkov is the entrance through the arch from Muyuriviahe Street to the courtyard and to the right into the basement of the monastery.

Other Latin Quarter Tenants

• The Monastery of St. Katarina of Siena ^{[4] [5]} ("Püha Siena Katarina Klooster") is a revived Dominican monastery, which has the patroness of another St. Catherine of Siena , conducts masses and liturgies in Polish and Estonian, sometimes in Russian. Entrance from the side of Muirivähe street to the left of the arch. At the entrance there is a mass schedule in a window in 4 languages, including Russian.
• Katarina Gild is a not-for-profit partnership of artisans and needleworkers in Katarina Lane .
• "Theatrum", SA is a private theater of Lembit Peterson, makes productions and is engaged in educational activities. It occupies the premises of the former bread barn of the monastery (14 Vienna street). Entrance from the side of the church of St. Catherine with the inscription "Kloostri Ait" ^[6] .

Katarina Lane.

Preserved Monastery Property

Despite the fact that the Dominicans fled the city, without waiting for the reprisals of the Lutherans in 1524, the monastery was ruined. However, the buildings remained virtually untouched for several years - until the fire of 1531. Two altars from the Church of St. Catherine have been preserved, they are exhibited in the Museum of Medieval Art (in Nigulista ) - this is the altar of the Virgin Mary , made at the expense of and commissioned by the Brotherhood of the Blackheads by the master of the legend of Saint Lucia in Bruges, and the altar of the Holy relatives .

Also in Soviet guidebooks there is information that a certain number of books from the library of the monastery have been preserved. The small exhibition offered by the Mauritius Institute is not related to the monastery, has no historical and artistic value and is the remnant of the Soviet collection of stone-carving art, valuable objects of which are exhibited in Nigulista. Only preserved premises have value, which is what tenants of the monastery buildings use.

In the monastery courtyard you can see the Well of desires - according to legend, every wish made here will come true. ^[7]