Puhtitsa Convent

Puhtitsa, the holy place, is an Orthodox women's convent at Kuremae founded in 1891 on a hill where local tradition holds that the Mother of God appeared to a shepherd beside a spring, and an old icon of the Dormition was later found under a great oak; the oak and the spring below the hill are venerated and pilgrims come to both. The complex is substantial: the main Dormition cathedral of 1910 in Russian revival style with onion domes, a bell tower, chapels, cells, workshops and a cemetery within walled grounds and gardens. Around eighty nuns live and work here, and it functions as an active monastery rather than a monument. Visitors are welcome in the grounds under the usual dress and behaviour rules.

History

The convent stands on a site known as Pühitsetud, "blessed", where legend says a shepherd from Kuremäe saw a vision beside a spring still venerated as holy, and where in the 16th century local people found an old icon of the Dormition under a great oak; a small Orthodox church was built here in the same century, and the icon still belongs to the convent. In 1888 the Russian Orthodox Church sent a nun from the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma to establish a community, and the convent was founded in 1891 with the support of the governor of Estland, Prince Sergei Shakhovskoy, as the first Orthodox monastery built in Estonia. Its main church, designed by Mikhail Preobrazhensky in the Russian Revival style, was consecrated in 1910, and six churches now stand in the grounds. Pühtitsa never suspended its life through the 20th century, and by 1991 the community numbered 161 nuns (Wikipedia, Pühtitsa Convent).

The main sights

• The Dormition cathedral - the domed church of 1910 at the centre.
• The holy spring - the water source below the hill visited by pilgrims.
• The venerated oak - the tree tied to the founding tradition.
• The convent grounds - the walled complex, cells and gardens.

When to go

May to September for the grounds and gardens. The Dormition feast in late August is the main pilgrimage and brings large numbers. Services run daily and visiting outside them is easiest.

Practical notes

This is a working convent: modest dress is required, women are expected to cover their heads and wear skirts, and photography is restricted. Parts of the complex are closed to visitors. Services take precedence over visiting.

Nearby

Johvi lies north; Alutaguse national park is west.

Key facts