Things to do in Polva County, Polva County: The Best Churches & Cathedrals

The Church of Blessed Virgin Mary in Polva is one of the oldest churches in historical Vorumaa. The rarities of the church are the old altar painting The Last Supper (1650) and the altar panels (1647). There is an altar painting The Resurrection (Friedrich Ludwig von Maydell, 1845). The church was originally a square-shaped hall church with three naves. Today it has preserved from it a high tower with a deep niche and a Western façade. Interesting to know: According to a legend, the key of the church is held by a kneeling girl called Mary who is walled in. Allegedly that is also the origin of the name of the church and Polva (‘knee’ for the Estonian ‘polv’).

St George’s Church in Varska is a neo-Historical Orthodox church with a crossing cupola; the building displays a beautiful contrast between stones and brick cornices. The images of the iconostasis date from the time when the church was built. Interesting to know: • The famous Seto folk singer Anne Vabarna and the captain of the steamship Aurora Ivan Fjodorov have been buried in the churchyard.

The Orthodox Church is a neo-Classical oblong building consisting of three parts. In the Western part there is a bell tower and in the Eastern part a crescent-shaped apsis. A cupola with a tambour is in the middle of the building. The exterior of the building is in classical style, incorporating cornices and rustic work. Simple iconostasis of the 19th century catches the eye in the interior. Interesting to know:• The first wooden church was built in 1752 by the order of Empress Elizabeth of Russia.• In 1813 the wooden church was destroyed by fire. The building of the current church started in 1827 by the order of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and it was finished in 1833.

St Paraskeva’s ('Friday’ in Greek) Orthodox Church in Saatse is one of the oldest Orthodox country churches in Estonia (est. 1801). There are nationally protected artistic monuments: a wooden icon Story of Paraskeva Paatnits, a gospel and a communion bread plate. There is also a steel- framed stone cross dating from the 15th century which is deemed to be miracle-working. Interesting to know:• in 1839 a clock tower was built for the church; • in 1884 the church building was extended.

The Rapina church in the late Baroque style was built in 1785. Interior values of the church include an altar painting by Carl Antropoff, painted in 1871 and consisting of two parts: The Entombment of Jesus and Jesus reveals himself to Mary Magdalene.Interesting to know:• the former church building was destroyed in the Great Northern War;• the best-known Minister was Johan Orn (Oern), who wrote poems in Estonian;• Johann Friedrich Heller (1786-1849), who was there a Minister from 1814, studied the cases of the Estonian language and enlightened folk by working for the newspaper Beitrage by J. H. Rosenplanter.

The church was built in 1900; it was reconsecrated in 1999 upon its renovation. Near the church there is an interesting memorial stone dating from the Great Northern War.Good to know:The service is on Sundays at 10 am.

St John’s Church is an eye-catching building; its architect was Friedrich Siegel. There is an altar painting Christ on the Cross (A. Bauer, 1857) and a pseudo-Gothic altar, and two nationally protected wooden candlesticks (1810) and an armchair from the birch wood dating from the 18th century. On top of the spire there is a morning star.Interesting to know:St John’s Church in Kanepi was built in 1804-1810 to replace the old wooden church. In 1831 the church was set on fire by lightning. The church in Kanepi has been in its current state since the year 1877.