Suure-Jaani is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in the northern part of the county of

Viljandimaa Viljandi County ( et, Viljandi maakond or ''Viljandimaa''; german: Kreis Fellin) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in southern Estonia bordering Pärnu, Järva, Jõgeva, Tartu and Valga counties. History Viljandimaa, under the ...

in Põhja-Sakala rural municipality, 25 kilometres north of the town of

Viljandi Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu ...

. Until 2017, Suure-Jaani was the administrative centre of Suure-Jaani rural municipality.

History

The oldest archaeological findings from the area date back to the 6th millennium B.C. At the end of the 12th century A.D., the Lehola

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

of ancient Estonians was built at a location (now known as Lõhavere) approximately two kilometres north-east of the present town border. The hill fort was the centre of the northernmost district (Estonian: ''kihelkond'') in the historical Estonian county of Sakala and also one of the centres of Estonians' fight against the conquest of German Sword Brethren in the 13th century, including in the Battle of Lehola. Not much except the hill remains of it but the place (known in Estonian also as ''

Lembitu Lembitu (Estonian also: Lembit, died 21 September 1217) was an ancient Estonian senior (elder) from Sakala County and military leader in the struggle against conquest of the Estonian lands by the German Livonian Brothers of the Sword at the ...

linnamägi'') is still visited as a tourist attraction. 2/3 of the hill-fort have been excavated archaeologically. Suure jaani church

The locality of Suure-Jaani was initially called Wallola (or "Valle"), first recorded in 1423(?). The town began to develop around the (now

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

) Church of Great Saint

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given ...

(''Groß Sankt Johannis'' in German), built before the year 1300.Home page of the Suure-Jaani Church of Great Saint John at the website of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (in Estonian)
There is a Lutheran cemetery near the church. The church was severely damaged during the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pr ...

(1558–1582) and the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swe ...

(1700–1721), particularly the latter (the church was burnt down in 1703 and the restoration was completed only in 1767). The present name, "Suure-Jaani" (literally meaning "Great John's"), which came into widespread use for the locality only in the 1880s, when it developed into a village in its own right, is an Estonian derivative from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

name of the church. Until then, the name "Suure-Jaani" was used only for the church as well as its immediate surroundings (the church estate), while other areas of the present town were separate villages: Valula (or Wallola; the southern part of the present town of Suure-Jaani), Nuutre (the eastern part) and Päraküla (or Perraküla; the north-western part; one part of the traditional Päraküla still being a separate village nowadays). During centuries, Suure-Jaani was one of the centres of Suure-Jaani parish (which was in 1629–1721 administratively a part of

Swedish Livonia Swedish Livonia ( sv, Svenska Livland) was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1629 until 1721. The territory, which constituted the southern part of modern Estonia (including the island of Ösel ceded by Denmark after the Treaty of Bröm ...

, in 1721–1918 a part of the

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a Baltic governorate of the Russian Empire, now divided between Latvia and Estonia. Geography The shape of the province is a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum ...

and as from 1918 a part of the Republic of Estonia) and, since the end of the 19th century, also the cultural and commercial centre of the parish region. Suure-Jaani õigeusu kirik

In 1906–1908, Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church was built at the village of Valula (now Suure-Jaani). The Orthodox congregation had already been established in the nearby village of

Olustvere Olustvere (german: Ollustfer) is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Põhja-Sakala Parish, Viljandi County in central Estonia. It has a population of 465 (as of 2009). During the 19th century and supposedly earlier, the area surrounding the Olust ...

in 1847. In 1911, an Orthodox cemetery was established at Valula (now Suure-Jaani), replacing the former Orthodox cemetery, which was located in the village of Reegoldi near Olustvere. As from 1989 Sts. Peter and Paul Church was not used for services for a couple of decades but is being restored since 2018 and is being used, since the late 2010s, for Orthodox religious services again. In 1924, Suure-Jaani was granted the rights of a town (Estonian: ''alev'') and in 1938, it was granted city rights. In 1950–1959, Suure-Jaani was the capital of Suure-Jaani District (of the

Estonian SSR The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an National delimitation in ...

). The 1950s also marked the all-time peak number (approximately 1700) in the population of the town. During the administrative reform in 1960, Suure-Jaani District was dissolved and became part of the larger Viljandi District (now the county of Viljandimaa). In 2005, a new Suure-Jaani rural municipality was formed by the town of Suure-Jaani (which had been a separate urban municipality until then), the former separate Suure-Jaani rural municipality and Olustvere and Vastemõisa rural municipalities. Therefore, the town is not a separate municipality any more but retains its city rights. On 21 October 2017, Suure-Jaani rural municipality united with the city of Võhma and the

Kõo Kõo is a village in Viljandi County, Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe, Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to th ...

and

Kõpu Kõpu is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Viljandi County, Estonia. It was the administrative centre of Kõpu Parish. Suure-Kõpu manor Suure-Kõpu manor (german: Gross-Köppo), located in the village, has a history that goes back to 1487. Du ...

rural municipalities to form the new Põhja-Sakala rural municipality.

Geography

Suure-Jaani is situated in Sakala Upland, offering picturesque views with its park, two artificial lakes and church in the centre of the town.

Transport

Due to its small size, Suure-Jaani has no urban transport. The town has a bus stop for intercity lines. The nearest railway station is at

(5 km). The nearest towns are Võhma (12 km),

(25 km),

Põltsamaa Põltsamaa (german: Oberpahlen) is a town in Põltsamaa Parish, Jõgeva County, Estonia. The town is situated on the Põltsamaa River, and features a 13th-century castle. Gallery Põltsamaa Jõgi.jpg, Põltsamaa River Põltsamaa (german: ...

(28 km) and

Vändra Vändra (german: Fennern) is a borough ( et, alev) in Põhja-Pärnumaa Parish in Pärnu County, Estonia. It has a population of 2,191 and an area of 3.28 km². Vändra is the birthplace of Estonian journalist and poet Johann Voldemar Janns ...

(32 km). The distance of Suure-Jaani from

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

, the capital of Estonia, is 143 km. Heliloojate Kappide Majamuuseum

Culture

During the Estonian national awakening period in the 19th century, Suure-Jaani parish was one of the regional centres of educational, cultural and social life (largely as a result of the efforts of schoolmaster and musician Joosep Kapp and also e.g. as the parish of origin of the first Estonian professional painter

Johann Köler Johann Köler (8 March 1826 – 22 April 1899) was a leader of the Estonian national awakening and a painter. He is considered as the first professional painter of the emerging nation. He distinguished himself primarily by his portraiture and to ...

, who both actively contributed to the development and promotion of Estonian culture). Presently, Suure-Jaani hosts the Suure-Jaani Music Days, an annual summer festival of classical music started in 1998, dedicated to the Kapp family of composers. Suure-Jaani is also the place of establishment of the International

Artur Kapp Artur Kapp (28 February 1878 – 14 January 1952) was an Estonian composer. Born in Suure-Jaani, Estonia, then part of the Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire, he was the son of Joosep Kapp, who was also a classically trained musician. K ...

Society, a non-profit foundation for promoting the works and life of composer Artur Kapp and other composers related to Suure-Jaani, such as

Mart Saar Mart Saar ( in Hüpassaare – 28 October 1963) was an Estonian composer, organist and collector of folk songs. Childhood Saar was born at the small borough of Hüpassaare (now in Karjasoo, Suure-Jaani Parish), Kreis Fellin in the Livonian ...

Places of interest

* Church of Great Saint John the Evangelist * Home museum of the Kapp family of composers and musicians * Monument of the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westw ...

(depicting

of Lehola) * Lehola hill fort (''Lembitu linnamägi'') of ancient Estonians at Lõhavere (nearby, in Põhja-Sakala rural municipality) * Home museum of composer Mart Saar at Hüpassaare (in Põhja-Sakala rural municipality) * Home museum of painter Johann Köler at Lubjassaare farm (Ivaski village in Põhja-Sakala rural municipality) *

Soomaa National Park Soomaa National Park ( et, Soomaa rahvuspark) is a national park in south-western Estonia. Soomaa ("land of bogs") protects 390 km², the park was created in 1993. Soomaa is Important Bird Area since 1989 and a Ramsar site of protected ...

(20–30 km south-west of Suure-Jaani)

Notable people

* Ado Johanson (1874–1932), agronomist and agricultural figure * Aleksander Kapp (1874–1940), church figure and politician *

(1878–1952), composer * Joosep Kapp (1833–1894), developer of Estonian education and culture *

Villem Kapp Villem Kapp (7 September 1913 – 24 March 1964) was an Estonian composer, organist and music teacher. Life Born in Suure-Jaani, Estonia, Villem Kapp was the son of who was a sacristan, teacher and choir director. Villem Kapp graduated in 19 ...

(1913–1964), composer * Tõnis Kint (1896–1991), politician, Estonian Prime Minister and President in exile in 1970–1990 *

Albert Kivikas Albert Kivikas ( in Groß-St. Johannis, Livonia, Russian Empire – 19 May 1978 in Lund) was an Estonian writer and journalist. He is best known as the author of the book '' Names in Marble'' ( et, "Nimed marmortahvlil"), the subject of which ...

(1898–1978), writer *

(1826–1899), painter * Paul Kondas (1900–1985), painterHome page of the Suure-Jaani Secondary School (in Estonian)
/ref> *

Felix Moor Felix Moor (12 April 1903 Suure-Jaani Suure-Jaani is a town in the northern part of the county of Viljandimaa in Põhja-Sakala rural municipality, 25 kilometres north of the town of Viljandi. Until 2017, Suure-Jaani was the administrative cent ...

(1903–1955), the first Estonian radio reporter *

(1882–1963), composer * Herman Simm (born 1947), convicted traitor *

Helen Tobias-Duesberg Helen Tobias-Duesberg (11 June 1919 – 4 February 2010) was an Estonian-American composer. Life Helen Tobias was born in Suure-Jaani, Estonia on 11 June 1919. Tobias was the youngest daughter of Estonian composer, Rudolf Tobias, born seven m ...

(1919–2010), composer *

Roman Toi Roman Toi (June 18, 1916 – May 7, 2018) was an Estonian-Canadian composer, choir conductor, and organist. Influenced by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Toi's music is melodic, lyrical, and melancholic in style. His compositional output includes nine ...

(1916–2018), conductor and composer * Priit Toobal (born 1983), politician

References

External links

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Estonia Former municipalities of Estonia Põhja-Sakala Parish Kreis Fellin