St Lambert's Church (Lambertuse kogudus
in Estonian) is in Hageri village, clearly visible from the only
main road. Hageri was one of the largest and oldest parishes in the
former Harju, Rapla and Juuru regions. The first St Lambert's Church
probably already existed by 1221, built by missionaries to Danish North
Estonia, although nothing is known about the saint himself. The first
records of the church date to 1424, but the building was destroyed by
fire on 3 May 1710.
Restoration by Captain von Baer of Sutlema Manor was
completed by the end of 1713, with services being held in the manor until
then. Repairs were carried out in 1803 and 1822, and reconstruction work
was done in 1851, with the vaults and roof being replaced. However, the
church was quickly becoming too small for its expanding congregation, so
in 1890 the old church was pulled down and replaced with the present
Romanesque and Gothic building which was consecrated in 1892.
The Apostolic-Orthodox Church of the Ascension of
Our Lord in Angerja (Eesti Apostlik-Õigeusu Kiriku Angerja Issanda
Taevaminemise Koguduse) is at Viljandi mnt 2, on the southern side,
immediately east of Luha street and the town of Kohila. In 1897, the
government sold off the manors of Kohila and Tohisoo, and a parcel of
the land was gained for the church. The cornerstone was laid at the start
of construction in 1899, and it was built to the designs of architect
Vladimir Lunski.
With its strongly Russian-influenced styling, the
church was consecrated on 1 January 1901. Also called Angerja Church,
it was closed in 1950, during the Soviet era, and was used to store fertiliser.
It was in a very bad condition (especially inside) when re-opened in
1993 and a lot of work was required to bring it back into use. It is
now one of Estonia's very few Apostolic-Orthodox churches to contain
a brand new iconic painting, which includes icons of all the saints.
St Mary's Church (Maarja kirik) is on the
south-west corner of Koluvere mnt and Välja, in Märjamaa. It was
erected in the fourteenth century as a fortress church, with defensive
positions inside the building, and was the most westerly of its time.
It was badly damaged in 1574, during the Livonian Wars. Repairs were
carried out on the tower, which closely resembles that of St Olaf's
Church in Tallinn. It was damaged again during the Second World War
and repaired.
One photo on this page contributed by Lauri Oherd.
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