“Pirita Convent”

The history of the construction and research

This book is comprehensive study of the ruins of Pirita Convent – on of the best-known architectural monuments of Estonia. The focus here is on the construction of this structurally complex building and on the foundation of a double house (nuns and monks living in separate convents), highly unique in Estonia. An overview is given of its more than 150 year-history and its final destruction during highly turbulent times. The fate of Pirita Convent after its destruction is discussed on the basis of the surviving written records, though there are not very many of them. The architectural historical research of the ruins, which began in the late 19th century, was taken up in earnest in the past century, when the most extensive excavations in Estonia were carried out between 1975 and 1980, after which the ruins were finally conserved.
The continuity of the Brigittines is best shown by the foundation of the Convent of the Most Holy Saviour of St. Bridget, housing a new convent, a guesthouse and a conference centre, to the north of the original ruins.

The author
Jaan Tamm, archaeologist and architectural conservator is one of the founders of the Estonian Heritage Society (1987), and later was its deputy Chairman and Chairman. The book is co-authored by Villem Raam, Honorary Chairman of the Estonian Heritage Society and a long-time researcher of the ruins of Pirita Convent.