Researchers uncover new findings at Estonia’s oldest medieval church

More than 800 years old, Valjala Church in Saaremaa still holds new discoveries, ERR reported. One of this year’s significant finds is a finely crafted baptismal basin made by a highly skilled master.

Additional research was carried out this summer through two projects costing a total of 160,000 euros.

“There is no other one like it in Estonia. When a sculpture conservator examines and cleans it, the craftsmanship becomes visible,” said Kersti Markus, a professor at Tallinn University and head of the Valjala Church research project. Geologists have also established that the object was made from local Valjala stone, which was a high-quality material in the 13th century.

However, some mysteries remain. Researchers did not find the wooden church they had been searching for beneath the floor of the present church.

“We would have liked to find the very first wooden church, but we can more or less imagine where it might have stood inside the church, somewhere around the triumphal arch. The burials draw our attention to the location, but burial chests from later periods have damaged all the soil,” Markus said.

The research also clarified how the church should be repaired and restored to ensure its continued safety. Ceiling beams were installed in the past to prevent the walls from spreading, but cracks have nevertheless appeared in the vault. Researchers now know what work is needed to keep the building stable.

“We have the oldest church in Estonia here, and there is also a very serious risk that the vault could collapse because the walls are bulging,” Markus said.

Restorer Ando Siim said the work should include repairs to the gables, where stone slabs are beginning to fall, as well as the buttresses and roof. The vault also needs to be restored to prevent plaster from falling on visitors.

Based on the findings, researchers believe that wealthy islanders may once have lived in Valjala. Markus said the research corresponds with Marika Mägi’s work on the Valjala fortress, and that a sacred building may have stood there as early as the beginning of the 13th century, when the fortress was at the height of its power.

“The builders, or those behind the construction of the church, should perhaps be sought at the fortress. They were, of course, islanders and Estonian nobles,” Markus said.