Lasnamäe Orthodox Church

The story of Lasnamäe church has been, from the beginning, accompanied by political disagreements and heated debates. The church has been reproached for its prominent location in Lasnamäe, the home of the largest local Russian community, its traditional architecture, perpetuation of Russianness instead of integration with the Estonian society. The building of the new church has also been seen as a political gesture to ensure voters’ support to the Centrist Party in the city government.

The church was initially planned to be built without an architectural competition, but the Estonian Association of Architects managed to enforce a public competition held in 2005. The whole following process has still been full of accusations of corruption and political fraud. The Russian Orthodox community, however, got a church that clearly met their expectations – the Tallinn Church of the “Quick to Hearken” Icon of the Mother of God.

Architecturally the new church follows the principles of a Byzantine church – it has one central cupola and is almost rectangular in its floor plan. The main building material has been reinforced concrete which is said to have been chosen as a material characteristic to the area of Lasnamäe. In addition to the church the complex consists of the square of Patriarch Alexius II and the bell tower that follows the architectural features set out by the church.