A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ESTONIA

1. Early History
The early beginnings of Orthodoxy in Estonia remain in the twilight of history. Estonians or their forefathers have lived in the present territory at least from 3rd millennium BC. Their beliefs before Christianity were most probably a mixture of ancient Fenno-Ugric shamanistic-animistic religion with an addition of some features from neighbouring Indo-European polytheism. Contacts with Christianity started with the conversion of neighbouring German, Scandinavian and Slavic peoples.

It is believed that in the 10th – 13th centuries there was a small but growing Christian minority. On the coastline and western Estonia there was the influence of the Western Church and in Eastern Estonia of the Eastern Church. According to some historians, the missionaries sent by St. Photius of Constantinople reach also Estonian tribes. It is known that prince Yaroslav of Kiev conquered Tartu and established a fortress and a church there.

A major turn occurred in the history of the people, when in the late 12th c. the Popes proclaimed crusades against the mainly heathen Estonians, Latvians and Livonians (Livs). Estonian territory was taken through a period of wars between 1208 and 1257 by knights of the Brothers of the Sword (mostly German) and Danish forces. The conquest of the land went side by side with forceful baptism to the Roman Catholic faith. So German nobility, priesthood and other higher classes remained in power in Estonia and Latvia for practically 700 years, even though the overlords changed (Swedes, Polish, Russians). Also, the Estonian peasantry had to follow their masters in matters of faith - first Catholic and after 16th century, Lutheran. The conquest and forced Christianization left a mark on the religious mentality of Estonians, who for long considered Christianity more as a matter of their lords. A change came just in the end of the 18th century, when pietist Moravian Brothers (Herrnhuts) made a more effective mission work among Lutheran Estonians. >>Continue...

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