Saaremaa’s lovely old rural churches are tucked into its landscape, architectural surprises that are worth a stop and a look if on your route. Some are in working condition and are in various states of external repair; others are open and cavernous, only sparse decoration remaining, their size and monumentality made more impressive by their emptiness. Some of these beauties also host concerts that feature the music of their organs.


The following churches are some that can be visited on a journey through Saaremaa, one of Estonia's major islands.

St. Catherine’s Church, Karja

St. Catherine’s Church is a small structure free of superfluity,  even a tower. The ceiling paintings are of particular interest—represented there are pagan symbols, including a pentagram, triskelion, and a devil. The church dates from the 13^th-14^th centuries, with a baptismal font also dating from the 14^th century. From Kuressaare, take highway 79 north to Karja.

St. Jacob’s Church, Puha

Though the church was set fire to during the Livonian War in the 16^th century, the oldest part of the church can be dated to the 13^th century and exhibits medieval aesthetics. Elements added later include a Rococo pulpit and alter wall. Puha is located about 12 km east of Kuressaare.

St. Mary’s Church, Poide

The so-called fortress-church of St. Mary is cavernous on the inside, having been gutted of most of its decorations and all of its furnishings. Moss grows on the walls lit dimly by a stained-glass window.

This 14^th-century church was built from the chapel of a fortress that was destroyed. The crack in the tower is a result of a lightning strike in the 1940s. Poide is situated near the northeastern coast of the island.

St. Peter and Paul Church, Kaarma

Kaarma’s St. Peter and Paul Church is a lovely old remnant from the medieval period. Dating from the 13^th century, it sports the island’s first bell tower from the 15^th century. Throughout the church, those with a trained eye will notice Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque elements. The carved stone 13^th-century baptismal font and a wooden image of Joseph from the middle of the 15^th century are some of the oldest and most remarkable surviving interior decorations of the church. Kaarma’s church is less than 10 km north of Kuressaare.

St. Martin’s Church, Valjala

St. Martin’s Church is a relic of Romanesque design; the original church dates to the first half of the 13^th century and was the country’s first stone church. Original paintings and a detailed carved stone baptismal font are reminders of how well-preserved the church has been despite its age. The bell tower, dating from the 1600s, is made from grave markers from the 13^th-century cemetery. Valjala is one of Saaremaa’s major towns on the eastern side of the island.

St. Michael’s Church, Kihelkonna

The elegant St. Michael’s Church originally dates to the 13^th century and was built with the help of the Livonian Order. An interesting feature of this church is its bell tower, which was supposed to be built according to the church’s original architectural plan but wasn’t built until the end of the 19^th century. A free-standing bell tower can be found to the south of the church and was built in the 17^th century. Kihelkonna lies on the western coast of Saaremaa, where it occupied an important location in medieval times.

 
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