Should Estonia Demolish Tallinn’s Alexander Nevsky Cathedral?
By That’s the question now being debated in Estonia as the lease from the government to the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church, formerly known as the Russian Orthodox Church in Estonia, comes due.
The Estonian government has told the church to cut its ties with Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church has long been closely tied to the Russian government.
The cathedral is located on Toompea Hill in downtown Tallinn, directly across from the Parliament building.
The cathedral is a beautiful building, with artwork inside.
It is, however, a reminder of Russian presence. Tallinn still contains many Russian speakers, some of whom worship at the cathedral. But hostility to Russia runs high in Estonia now. It has always seemed to me that the dedication of the Cathedral to Alexander Nevsky was something of a middle finger to the Estonians because of his victory over the Germans and thus Russian hegemony in Estonia in 1240, but I’ve never asked an Estonian about that.
My guess as to its future would be a renewal of the lease, but Russia’s war in Ukraine could change that.