Church Friday – St. John’s Church and Charles’s Church (Tallinn)

Vabaduse väljak 1, Tallinn

Church Friday is a series of events which support Estonian language learning for adults whose first language is not Estonian. In the course of the series, we will visit the churches of Tallinn with a tour guide and practice Estonian.

During the series, we will visit various churches in Tallinn (such as St. Nicholas’ Church (Tallinna Niguliste kirik) and Museum, St. Mary’s Cathedral (Tallinna toomkirik), St. John’s Church (Jaani kirik), Charles’s Church (Kaarli kirik), St Michael’s Church (Tallinna Rootsi-Mihkli kirik) once a month, including a guided tour. The tours are in Estonian. After the tour, the participants can explore the churches on their own. Church Friday takes place once a month on Fridays: on 23 September, 21 October, 18 November, and 16 December.

St. John’s Church (Tallinna Jaani kirik) was completed in 1867 and is an example of neo-Gothic style. A stylish altar design, including the painting Christ on the Cross, and chandeliers, which are older than the building, give a certain radiance to the church. The church tower houses the oldest church bell with Estonian inscription (1872). In the church, you can admire ten stained glass windows by artist Dolores Hoffmann.

Charles’s Church (Tallinna Kaarli kirik) is dedicated to the Swedish King Charles XI and is the largest historicist limestone building. It was designed by Otto Pius Hippius, an architect with Estonian roots from St. Petersburg. Charles’s Church is adorned with magnificent altar pieces by J. Köler and S. Kügelgen. The largest pipe organ in Estonia was completed in 1884; it has 30 registers and tracker action.


One tour lasts up to 1.5 hours. The size of the group is 15–25 people.

Participants can practice listening to spoken Estonian (by listening to the tour guide) and speaking Estonian (by asking questions from the guide). Visiting various churches in the course of a tour allows adults whose first language is not Estonian practice their Estonian and raises their awareness of culture and history.

  • Min. language level required: B1+
  • Time: 23.09 from 14.00-15.30
  • Location: the tour starts in front of the Jaani Church in Tallinn (Vabaduse väljak 1, Tallinn)
  • No of participants: 25

Teacher: Inna Arno
Registration: (09.09 at 9.00) https://iseteenindus.integratsioon.ee/service/view/11504?lang=en

NB! You can register for the events through the Integration Foundation's self-service, which you can enter using an ID card, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID. Please see the user guide: https://integratsioon.ee/iseteenindus