Pirita Convent

The Pirita Convent (Estonian: Pirita Klooster) was a convent dedicated to St. Brigitta that was located in the Pirita area of Tallinn, Estonia. It was in use from 1407 to 1575. It was Livonia's largest convent and one of Northern Europe's largest. The proposal for the monastery came from merchants in Tallinn around 1400. Two monks from Vadstena Abbey arrived in Tallinn in 1407 to offer advice to the merchants. In 1417, the first authorization to break dolomite to gather building materials for the complex was granted. Heinrich Swalbart, the architect, oversaw the construction of the convent.

The monastery's main church was dedicated on August 15, 1436, by Bishop Heinrich II of Tallinn. Several of the merchants who first suggested the monastery went on to become monks. Pirita Convent was Livonia's largest Catholic convent during its peak. The convent began to collapse after Estonia adopted the Protestant Reformation in 1525, though it was permitted to continue operating. Pirita Convent was assaulted by Russian soldiers led by Ivan the Terrible during the Livonian War in 1577. They ransacked the monastery, seized its treasures, and set fire to it. Since then, the Pirita Convent has been abandoned, although nearby areas have been utilized as a cemetery by locals.

Location: Tallinn, Estonia