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St. John's Church

St. John's Church, Tartu

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St. John's Church

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See all things to do
St. John's Church
4.5
120
#11 of 126 things to do in Tartu
Religious Sites
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00:00 - 17:00
Tuesday
00:00 - 17:00
Wednesday
00:00 - 17:00
Thursday
00:00 - 17:00
Friday
00:00 - 17:00
Saturday
00:00 - 19:00
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What people are saying
“Baltic Brick Gothic and over 200 terracotta faces - a must see!”
Sep 2019
Great church made of brick part of the Baltic Brick Gothic Churches (mainly in Baltic states, Poland, Germany, Denmark). These churches and areas are all associated with the Hanseatic League and the trade and wealth that these areas enjoyed. Besides the amazing brick work (stop outside and really look at this intricate Gothic workmanship) building is the terracotta faces. Each one is different, so not from a mold. Some with crowns, period hats and head coverings, all with different facial features both men and women. There are over 200 and if you have a small pair of binoculars it helps. If you only do one church in this town - this is the gem to see!
“Well restored”
Nov 2019
This is on first appraisal a fairly nondescript building which although originally built in the 14th century is in fact quite modern as it suffered severe damage during the 2nd World War and has been extensively restored. If you have an interest in ecclesiastical architecture there are a number of interesting terracotta gargoyle type statues inside there are that are worth a couple of photos.
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The area
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We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
148 within 5 kms
Werner Cafe
449
0.3 km€€ - €€€ • Cafe • European • Fusion
La Dolce Vita
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0.2 km€€ - €€€ • Italian • Pizza • Mediterranean
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0.4 km€€ - €€€ • Brew Pub • Bar • European
Restaurant Hõlm
104
0.4 km€€€€ • International • European • Healthy
Vein Ja Vine
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0.2 km€€ - €€€ • Italian • Bar • European
Krempel
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0.2 km€€ - €€€ • Cafe • European • Central European
Chez Andre
191
0.2 km€€ - €€€ • French • European • Contemporary
Restaurant Antonius
73
0.2 km€€€€ • International • European • Vegetarian Friendly
Pierre
242
0.4 km€€ - €€€ • Cafe • International • European
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341
0.2 km€€ - €€€ • Steakhouse • Barbecue • European
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Attractions
115 within 10 kms
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21
36 mSpeciality Museums • History Museums
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7
48 mHistoric Sites
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8
52 mArt Galleries
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164
89 mSpeciality Museums • Theatres
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130
0.2 kmEducational sites
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296
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23
0.1 kmSpeciality Museums
Monument to Karl Ernst Von Baer
31
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4.5
120 reviews
Excellent
61
Very good
42
Average
14
Poor
3
Terrible
0
PBTravelstheWorld
Lynden, WA398 contributions
Baltic Brick Gothic and over 200 terracotta faces - a must see!
Sep 2019
Great church made of brick part of the Baltic Brick Gothic Churches (mainly in Baltic states, Poland, Germany, Denmark). These churches and areas are all associated with the Hanseatic League and the trade and wealth that these areas enjoyed. Besides the amazing brick work (stop outside and really look at this intricate Gothic workmanship) building is the terracotta faces. Each one is different, so not from a mold. Some with crowns, period hats and head coverings, all with different facial features both men and women. There are over 200 and if you have a small pair of binoculars it helps. If you only do one church in this town - this is the gem to see!
Written 29 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Mike J
Chepstow, UK770 contributions
Well restored
Nov 2019
This is on first appraisal a fairly nondescript building which although originally built in the 14th century is in fact quite modern as it suffered severe damage during the 2nd World War and has been extensively restored. If you have an interest in ecclesiastical architecture there are a number of interesting terracotta gargoyle type statues inside there are that are worth a couple of photos.
Written 30 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Ian C
London, UK23,970 contributions
Don't miss the terracotta statues
Sep 2019 • Couples
At first sight, the church is quite plain inside, however look up and look at the terracotta statues.

Dating from 1330, the church was badly bombed in the Second World War and has been reconstructed. While we were there, the organist was playing on the organ, which was a delight to hear.

The main glory of the church is the series of medieval terracotta statues which you will see high up on one side of the nave and also displayed lower down (which had been on the exterior), depicting townspeople of the day. It is believed that there were once over 1000 of these fascinating sculptures.
Written 17 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Francis D
Montreal, Canada1,928 contributions
Cannot see the interest
Aug 2019
This church has nothing to offer, in our opinion. The outside is visually appealing, but the inside is totally stripped of everything. There are no artworks, no nice chapels, no visually appealing elements.

There is a statue on display, which is all cracked up, giving it some nice look. But the picture behind it shows it uncracked, letting us suggest it shouldn't be cracked. Then, why is it ? Some explanations would have been nice to have.

You can climb the stairs to go at some height in the tower. We saw from the floor that you can't go to the top and this was confirmed by the clerk, also that you can only see through a window. So, not so interesting to do. Maybe the views are still good... but it was not worth the risk, in our minds. Dirty windows could ruin easily the ascent made to get there !

We wouldn't have missed anything had we bypassed this church, in our opinion.
Written 4 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Philip P
Herentals, Belgium1,049 contributions
Impressive mixture of old and new.
May 2019 • Business
When I am abroad I like to visit churches. This is more beautiful at the outside whereas the inside is partly under renovation and missing still some components, giving it an "empty" impression.
Written 9 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Derek W
Stansted, UK27 contributions
Lovely church
May 2018 • Couples
This church has been refurbished since 2016,and it looks great from the outside,and from the inside,it's lovely to take a photo of,and it's very quiet both inside and outside too.
It has very small grounds around the church,and it has houses around it,in small streets/roads have flat stones for road surfaces.
It's fairly easy to get to,as there are plenty of road signs to point you around.
Written 27 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Uku S
Saaremaa, Estonia205 contributions
Cool cocert place
Nov 2018 • Couples
Church has found its new start after mr. Jaeger has started to organise different music events. I recommend!
Written 16 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
George
Nicosia, Cyprus1,929 contributions
Lutheran church
Sep 2018 • Couples
Recently renovated, 2005, this is a nice church. The main characteristic is the so called 1000 figurines inside the church
Written 16 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Rexonaut
Brussels, Belgium679 contributions
One of the top places to see in Tartu
Jul 2018 • Couples
It is quite special - from the point of few of the history and architecture. It is well restored and I made some parallels with Luebeck, what I visited few days ago.
Written 16 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
LMOverby
Columbia, MO1,841 contributions
interesting
Jun 2018 • Solo
An interesting, perhaps unique, example of Baltic Gothic church architecture, featuring dozens of pieces of terra cotta statuary in niches both inside and outside of the brick building. Church was badly damaged in WWII, so much of what we see today has been significantly restored. Very worth a visit, especially since it is free (1 Euro charge for pictures). Nice little gift shop features various local, handmade products from gloves to cufflinks.
Written 27 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about St. John's Church
St. John's Church is open:
  • Tue - Fri 00:00 - 17:00
  • Sat - Sat 00:00 - 19:00
Restaurants near St. John's Church: View all restaurants near St. John's Church on Tripadvisor