1. PÜHALEPA CHURCH


A wooden church was originally built on this spot. The exact date of its construction is not certain but it was sometime before the 13th century. Christianity was introduced to this area by visitors from other Nordic countries. In those days, the church was the center of village society for those who had adapted to the imported Christian beliefs. Weddings, baptisms, funerals and holy day festivals took place here. However, this site was regarded as a sacred place long before the church was built. Those who practiced Estonia's ancient, nature-oriented religion gathered here on holy days to make sacrifices and pray for a good harvest. The name "Pühalepa" actually means "holy alder" and refers to the grove of alder trees where the people held their religious rituals.

When the area was fully Christianized by German Crusaders, residents convinced them to build the first church here so as to aid in the conversion of local people who were already accustomed to coming to this place for religious services. Unfortunately, this first wooden church is no longer here. It was burned to the ground in the late 1200's because a stone church was built and it was common practice at that time to use the wooden church as scaffolding where workers could stand and construct the new stone church. After the construction was complete, the wooden church was either removed or burned. The stone church has been modified, destroyed and reconstructed many times over the years. The most recent addition is the large bell ower which was built in the mid- 1700's. During Soviet times the church was closed by the authorities and turned into a storage barn. The interior was badly damaged and a beautiful handmade church organ inside was vandalized beyond repair. It was only with the help of the Estonian Goverment, a Finnish church and the skill and labor of local people that the church was restored in 1991. A small mausoleum next to the church contains the tomb of Ebba-Margerethe Stenbock who was a prominent landowner on the island during the 18th century. Her family and the family of a later landlord named Ungern-Sternberg built the largest of the manor houses which can be seen around the island. The best preserved of these is in Suuremoisa.

An interesting feature of the church is the small door on the right side of the church. In the old days, women had to enter the church through this door instead of through the front. The women would gather here before services and talk about what was going on in the village. On the other side of this door was also a stairway which led up to an open area above the church ceiling. When the villagers where attacked or threatened they retreated to this area which was stocked with food and water. After blocking the entrance, they simply waited until the danger was past.

The graveyard surrounding the church dates back many centuries. Though most of the old tombstones are gone, there are fragments of "circled cross" grave markers which are characteristic of the Renaissance period. Some of the graves from the last century are written in German, in particular those of the Ungern-Sternberg family.

Several interesting legends exist about the construction of the church. Most of them deal with the story that Leiger and even the Devil himself were opposed to the idea of a church being on Hiiumaa. They both made attempts to stop construction by tossing large boulders at the construction site from a distance of several kilometers. Fortunately, none of these boulders found their mark. The one that landed the closest can still be seen lying about 300 meters north of the church. It is appropriately called, the "Devil's Stone". You will often see large boulders lying around on the island. The scientific explanation is that they were left by retreating glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. However, local legend says that these boulders were used as weapons by the giants who are said to have lived here. They were often in conflict with one another and when you see groups of these large rocks, it is probable that a "Giant Fight" once took place on that spot.