Church Friday is a series of events which support Estonian language learning for adults whose first language is not Estonian. In the course of the series, we will visit the churches of Tallinn with a tour guide and practice Estonian.
During the series, we will visit various churches in Tallinn (such as St. Nicholas’ Church (Tallinna Niguliste kirik) and Museum, St. Mary’s Cathedral (Tallinna toomkirik), St. John’s Church (Jaani kirik), Charles’s Church (Kaarli kirik), St Michael’s Church (Tallinna Rootsi-Mihkli kirik) once a month, including a guided tour. The tours are in Estonian. After the tour, the participants can explore the churches on their own. Church Friday takes place once a month on Fridays: on 23 September, 21 October, 18 November, and 16 December.
The cathedral was first mentioned in written records in 1219. The cathedral holds the largest collection of gravestones, epitaphs, sarcophagi, grave monuments, and epitaph coats of arms in Estonia, dating from thirteenth to eighteenth centuries. The most famous persons buried in the cathedral are Swedish Commander Pontus De la Gardie and his wife; Sophia Gyllenhelm, daughter of the King John III of Sweden; Admiral Samuel Greigh; and Admiral Adam Johan von Krusenstern, who led the first Russian circumnavigation. The pulpit and the altar are the works of Christian Ackermann, one of the most well-known Estonian wood carvers of the seventeenth century.
One tour lasts up to 1.5 hours. The size of the group is 15–25 people.
Participants can practice listening to spoken Estonian (by listening to the tour guide) and speaking Estonian (by asking questions from the guide). Visiting various churches in the course of a tour allows adults whose first language is not Estonian practice their Estonian and raises their awareness of culture and history.
- Min. language level required: B1+
- Time: 18.11 from 14.00-15.30
- Location: St. Mary’s Cathedral (Toom-Kooli 6, Tallinn)
- No of participants: 25
Teacher: Inna Arno / inna.arno@integratsioon.ee
Registration: (04.11 at 9.00) https://iseteenindus.integratsioon.ee/service/view/11862?lang=en
NB! You can register for the events through the Integration Foundation's self-service, which you can enter using an ID card, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID. Please see the user guide: https://integratsioon.ee/iseteenindus
