Tallinn, Estonia: Russian Orthodox Cathedral

Here's an example of a church as a political statement - I would guess that's on the rare side.

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1900. It was dedicated to honor Alexander Nevsky, who won a famous battle in 1242 and was later made a saint.

The catch is that it was built on the grave of an Estonian hero, Kalev Kalevipoeg. The Russians were apparently trying to show who was boss in the region, and that went over as well as you might expect with the Estonians.

There was talk about tearing it down once Estonia controlled its own destiny in the 1920s, but was left up. It's a reminder that sometimes geography plays a huge role in a country's destiny, whether it wants that destiny or not. Look for the cathedral right across a square from the Parliament building.

Here's another viewpoint on video that includes a trip inside:



Thanks to Rick Steves' book on Northern European Cruise Ports for much of the information in this section of the blog. 

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