Palamuse Church, church building in Estonia
Palamuse Church is a medieval stone building in rural Jõgeva Municipality in Estonia with a simple rectangular structure including two side aisles and a wider chancel. The building has undergone several phases of construction and renovation across the centuries, retaining parts of its original 13th-century walls while incorporating later additions like a Baroque turret and reinforced buttresses.
The church was likely completed around 1234, making it nearly 800 years old, with its chancel already featuring a vault in the 13th century. During the Livonian Wars in the 16th century it suffered fire damage, but was later reconstructed with Baroque additions in the following period.
The church is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew and has served as a spiritual center for the surrounding community across centuries. Visitors today can observe the carved wooden altar and pulpit from 1696, which reflect the religious devotion and artistic skill that shaped local life.
The building is located at Köstri allee 4 in Palamuse village and is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM from May through September. Outside these months visits require advance booking by contacting ahead.
On the eastern outer wall there is a dry-stone painting created without mortar using only carefully placed stones. This unusual decoration on an otherwise simple facade shows the creative craftsmanship that went into adorning the building.
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