St. Nicholas' Church (Niguliste Museum)
Niguliste kirik
A medieval church converted into a museum of religious art, which houses Bernt Notke's famous painting Danse Macabre.
St. Nicholas' Church was first built in the 13th century and is dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and merchants. It was severely damaged in a Soviet air raid in 1944 during the Second World War and was rebuilt after the war as the Niguliste Museum, part of the Art Museum of Estonia. Its most important treasure is the surviving fragment of Danse Macabre, painted by the Lübeck artist Bernt Notke in the late 15th century. It is one of the few surviving medieval oil paintings of its kind in the world. The museum also holds the winged altarpiece by Hermen Rode, the altar of the Brotherhood of Blackheads and a treasury of silverware. A lift in the church tower takes visitors up to an observation level. Organ concerts are often held on weekends. Entry costs about 8 to 12 euros (check the official website), and the museum is closed on Mondays. It lies about 200 metres southwest of Town Hall Square.
Opening hours
Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Kohtuotsa & Patkuli Viewing Platforms
- Kiek in de Kök & Bastion Passages
- Toompea
- Town Hall Square & Tallinn Town Hall
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- Great Guild Hall (Estonian History Museum)
- St. Mary's Cathedral (Toomkirik)
- Church of the Holy Spirit