Print

---

To: Julia Holloway

Hello,

There is not very much to say about St. Birgitta in Estonia in 
general. The most remarkable thing which confirms the influence of 
her cult is the monastery of St. Birgitta in Tallinn which has been 
built 1407-1436 and destroyed during the Livonian War by Russian 
troups in 1577. There are now pictueresque ruins and the patron saint 
of the monastery has given the name to the eastern outskirts of 
Tallinn - Pirita.
The initiative to build a monastery of St. Birgitta came from the 
burgers of Tallinn and the rumor has it (in my opinion there are no 
reliable sources to prove it) that it was preferred by the 
daughters and widows of the burgers of Tallinn  while the other 
convent in Tallinn - the cistercian monastery - was mostly inhabited 
by noble ladies (this can be proved well enough).
The sources  concerning the monastery are very scarce - they must 
have been destroyed during the Livonian War. One can find some 
records concerning mostly the land property of the monastery in the 
Tallinn Town Archives.
One of the preferred themes in recent times seem to be vernacular 
birgittian literature (visions etc.) but unluckily no such examples 
have survived in Estonia.
The local literature is quite scarce too: some smaller books and 
articles published mostly in 1930-s (O. Sild, P. Johansen). 
The general story of the monastery is, however, quite well known. So 
if any further details are required, I would always be glad to 
answer.

With best greetings
Tiina.  


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%