‘A beautiful little church in its medieval genuineness. Stories of saints carved in stone, a unique Calvary bas-relief. One finds more sculptures, mural decorations and ceiling paintings here than in any other country church in Estonia.’ (Wayfarers’ Churches, St Catherine’s Lutheran Church in Karja)
Karja Church was first mentioned in the year 1254. The present church building, however, was erected some time later, in the last quarter of the thirteenth century or at the beginning of the fourteenth. It was built in the Gothic style, with no tower. It has mainly been preserved in its initial form, with the only extension being the entrance hall on the south side.
Karja Church was completed as a Catholic place of worship, with its construction being ordered by bishop of Saaremaa. However, from the second half of the sixteenth century it was home to a Lutheran congregation.
It is believed that Karja Church was dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria. This seems to be backed up by a message from the year 1739 which states that on St Catherine’s Day the annual fair was held near the church, and the church evidently was named after St Catherine.
Today the main entrance into Karja Church is on the west side. However, there used to be a door on the north side of the building. The splendid medieval portal and its decorative leaves and a bunch of grapes remind anyone who enters the church of Christ’s words: ‘I am the gate… I am the vine; you are the branches…’ (John 10:9, 15:5).
The chancel arch, which marks the separation of the chancel or sanctuary from the nave, is decorated with groups of sculptures which were produced using dolomite and depicting legends of the saints regarding St Catherine of Alexandria and St Nicholas of Myra. The top of the tower-shaped composition for both compositions seem to depict the gate towers of heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21).
The pious St Catherine died at the beginning of the fourth century. She was of noble birth, and has been depicted surrounded by angels and crowned as a martyr. She is holding a palm branch – a symbol of victory – and the Bible in her hand. Emperor Maxentius (c.278–312), a pagan ruler who had had Catherine executed, is being dragged to hell by the devil. Next to St Catherine is the emperor’s wife, Faustina, and Porphyrios, the head of the army. The message sent to the viewer is that Christianity always wins over paganism.
On the southern side of the chancel arch is St Nicholas (270–343), dressed in episcopal vestments – the prototype of Father Christmas – giving gold to three girls from a poor family in order to provide them with the dowry which was necessary to allow them to be married. On the bishop’s left hand is a man in a hood, holding a ship or a boat (the purse at his side refers to a merchant), to prove that the saint’s prayers may save one from a shipwreck, while another figure with a mace and a fur hat is holding a boy who has no clothes.
The altar is made of Kaarma dolomite, consisting of two parts: the body of the altar constitutes stipes, onto which a loose stone plate – mensa – has been placed. The retable in neo-Gothic style was designed by the architect, Franz Giencken (1840–1886), who came from St Petersburg. It dates back to the year 1887. The man behind the altarpiece was Hugo Macker (a school teacher in Rakvere and Tallinn, and later in Moscow), who for inspiration used a painting by an Italian artist by the name of Guido Reni (1575–1642), called ‘Christ on the cross with Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene’ (c.1617, which today is housed in the National Art Gallery of Bologna).
The baptismal font was made from Kaarma dolomite, consisting of two parts. The upper part or the basin probably dates back to the fourteenth century, while the lower part or the stem may originate from a later period.
The pulpit was completed in 1638. It is considered to be the work of Balthasar Raschky, who was a well-known master craftsman in Kuressaare. The pulpit’s donators were the noblemen, Johann Berg, Claus Harrien and Otto Wettberg. It also contains six coats of arms of noble families (Harrien, Anrep, Wettberg, Vietinghoff, Berg or Aderkas, and Lode).
The organ with one manual and one pedal was constructed by a well-known Estonian organ maker by the name of Gustav Normann (1821–1893) and was consecrated on 18 July 1882.
The entrance hall was probably built in the sixteenth century or later. Above the door is placed the Calvary relief, which originally was located above the southern portal.
