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.
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