Built in the Gothic style, the Church of St Nicholas in Talnin is a true medieval spectacle as it is the oldest place of worship in the town. This fantastic church is dedicated to the patron saint protector of sailors and merchants. In 1984, it was converted into a museum of religious art with a concert hall.
It still houses the Museum of Sacred Art where you can admire works from the late Middle Ages, including sculptures, frescoes and many other things. Among the works to be admired is the high altarpiece by the Master of Lübeck built in the 15th century, then there is also the wonderful late-Gothic altarpiece dedicated to St Mary. The last and most important is the ‘Dance Macabre’ by Bernt Notke, one of the masterpieces of Estonian art in which skeletons are represented dancing together with the Pope, the Emperor, the King, the Bishop and a beautiful young woman.
Charles Eugene of Croy, commander of the Russian army, was defeated in 1700 by King Charles XII of Sweden and imprisoned here. A few years later he died, but no one paid for his funeral and his creditors demanded that he not be buried. The particular climatic conditions of the chapel caused the body to be mummified. It was only in 1897, almost 190 years later, that he was finally granted a proper burial.
