Exploring St. Nicholas Church in Tallinn, Estonia

2016-11-13 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

Past the Town Hall Square, the heart of Tallinn's Old Town, I headed to the historic St. Nicholas Church (which seems to be pronounced "Niguliste" in Estonian). The pointed church tower is visible from afar, so you can find it without much trouble. The only real trouble is figuring out exactly what kind of church it is.

Two massive stone monuments engraved with a facial relief of Eduard Vilde and text — The monument to Eduard Vilde on the way. I'd never heard of him before, but he was apparently a rebellious Estonian writer and diplomat.

Tall spire of St. Nicholas Church rising behind green trees — The tower of St. Nicholas Church, visible from everywhere.

Side exterior of St. Nicholas Church with a red roof and tall spire

People gathered in front of the bluish entrance of St. Nicholas Church — The area in front of the church is a resting spot for many tourists. There were plenty of posters for various performances, but the benches were far more popular, leading to a frequent, quiet game of musical chairs among tourists trying to grab a seat.

Statue of a saint with a sunburst halo behind the head holding a sphere in one hand

Stone statue of a bearded man standing and holding a book

Stone statue of a figure looking up at the sky while holding a book — The first Estonian-style artwork I saw after arriving in Estonia.

Arriving in front of St. Nicholas Church, I saw a lot of tourists. Perhaps because Tallinn isn't a massively famous city, there were fewer Chinese tourists than I expected, unlike in Moscow. On the other hand, there were quite a few Japanese tourists, which surprised me a bit. Even more surprising than the tourist demographics were the statues carved into the church. They have a unique look—something I've never seen before, yet somehow familiar, almost like cartoon characters. While there are differences between Western European and Russian art, a layman like me usually can't tell them apart. But the statues here have such strong personalities; it's a style I haven't seen anywhere else. As I kept looking at them, they started to look a bit like characters from The Simpsons, which made them feel oddly familiar.

Information board listing historical events of St. Nicholas Church by year

Black-and-white photo exhibition showing the destroyed state and restoration process of St. Nicholas Church — The church is over 700 years old. However, since Estonia's history is a continuous series of invasions, this church has been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly.

Elaborately carved and painted wooden altar decoration

Detail of an altar decoration depicting a woman holding a bird with angel faces on both sides

Detail of a wooden carving in the shape of an angel face with red cheeks — The "Decorative screen of the memorial chapel," made in 1655. I'm not exactly sure how to interpret it. The baby angel's face is full of mischief yet solemn at the same time. For someone with limited expressive skills like me, Estonian art is really hard to describe.

Old stone tombstone carved with full-body reliefs of two people

Detail of the faces of two people and decorative patterns carved on a stone tombstone — The tombstone of Alexander von Essen, made in 1653.

Entering the main hall, a wide-open space unfolds. The coats of arms of famous Tallinn families hang on the walls, and the floor is paved with the tombstones of those buried here. A puzzling performance was taking place—it felt like a mix between a worship service and a poetry reading. The more I watched, the less I could figure out what religion this chapel belonged to. I was frustrated for not looking it up beforehand, but it seemed to be a uniquely Estonian religion, neither Catholic nor Russian Orthodox. However, since the famous saints depicted are all revered in Christianity, I figured it must be a denomination of it. In fact, when I asked someone who looked like a church caretaker,

"It is a church for the Estonian people,"

I was told. It's amazing that this small, frequently invaded country has managed to protect its religion and language for hundreds of years. Historically, it shares many similarities with Korea, which made me feel an even deeper sense of respect.

Large candlestick standing in the center of a church interior with a high ceiling and pillars

A woman holding a microphone and a man playing guitar are performing in front of a large unfolded altarpiece while people sit on chairs watching

Ornate brass chandelier hanging from the high vaulted ceiling of the church

Ornate coat of arms decorations hanging on the church wall with an octagonal wooden structure placed below them

Four elaborately carved and painted family coat of arms decorations hanging on a white church wall

Black information board with explanations of the family coat of arms decorations on the wall written in Estonian and English — Basically, all the artworks inside the church were made in the 15th century. There are brief introductions written for each one. The only problem is that I just don't know who they are.

Wooden statue of a knight standing and trampling a monster displayed in a glass showcase — St. George and the dragon. St. George

Wooden relief statue depicting the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus — Seeing the painting of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus, it's clear that the religion here is a branch of Catholicism or Orthodoxy.

Old wooden statue of a bearded man standing with a walking stick — He looks a bit shabby, but this is St. Christopher. Christopher

Multiple figure statues depicting a religious scene inside a wooden altarpiece ornately decorated in gold

Sacred painting depicting Jesus crucified on the cross and people standing or kneeling in prayer around him

Finally, I moved on to see the most famous piece in this church: the 'Dance of Death' or 'Danse Macabre'. Dance of Death

I didn't even know this kind of artwork existed, and seeing it unprepared was truly chilling. According to the description, even though several panels are missing, the scale is so massive that it doesn't fit into a single frame. Whether king, queen, noble, or commoner, each is depicted next to a dancing skeleton, expressing the futility of life. The explanation notes it was painted during the plague epidemic. If you look at the bottom, a poem is added to the painting, and the words are both bleak and spine-tingling.

Only the beginning part written under the first figure is translated into English:

"Good people, poor and rich,

take a look in this mirror, the young as well as old,

and bear in mind

that no man can evade Death

when he is present, as we all can see here..."

"Decent people, the poor and the wealthy,

look at this mirror, not only the young but also the old,

and even if it exists in reality, and we can all see it here,

keep in mind that no one can escape death."

I'm not very good at translating... There could definitely be mistranslations, so please let me know in the comments if something seems off.

Danse Macabre painting displayed in a glass showcase showing skeletons and people holding hands

Part of a painting where a crowned figure and a woman in a red dress stand alongside a skeleton

Because of the €5 admission fee—a huge amount for a broke tourist—I prayed there would be something interesting inside, and thankfully, I think I saw things more valuable than money. Even though it's hard to explain the characteristics of the local art, I could feel them, and seeing the Dance of Death in particular was incredible. If you just skim through, you can see everything in 5 to 10 minutes, so if you're not really into this stuff, it might feel like a waste of money. Still, the Dance of Death has such provocative content that people of all ages will likely take a close look. Plus, since it's the most famous church in Tallinn, it's worth visiting for the name alone.

Massive stone church building with a towering black spire and red roof under a clear blue sky

Expenses

Sparkling water 1.5L €1.05
Breakfast bread €1.30
Souvenirs €8
Niguliste (St. Nicholas) Museum €5
Dome Church €5
Water, beer, sausage €2.33
Blini €4.90

Total Expenses €27.58

Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 47,499 RUB + $312.26 + €85.58

#DanceOfDeath