Tallinna Kaasani Jumalaema Sünni kirik, 1721.a., 1749.a.

Unknown artist

The Kazan Church was constructed in 1721, making it the oldest wooden church in Tallinn. The iconostasis of Our Lady of Kazan and an old foldable icon with the same image were brought over from St. Petersburg. Because of these images, people started casually calling the sanctuary the Kazan Church. The building currently belongs to the Orthodox congregation of the Church of our Lady of Kazan. The building is declared cultural heritage under protection as the oldest wooden building in Tallinn and an interesting example of Baroque church architecture. The exterior has been simplified during the renovations in the 19th century – the walls were cladded with sleek timber, the nave roof was lowered and the helm spire of the octagonal tower was replaced with an onion dome, the wall surfaces and window openings received a Classicist makeover, and the clock tower lost the top dome. Also the interior has suffered from repainting, the original Baroque ornaments can barely be seen through the layers of grey paint. Only the main portal of the iconostasis has remained Baroque, the rest of the interior has a Classicist feel due to the Ionic columns and the Empire style altharpiece. In 2009 the church was damaged in fire, resulting in restoration works on the ceiling and southern wall.