Haapsalu Castle (also Haapsalu Episcopal Castle, , or more simply ''Bishop's Castle'') is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

with

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

in Haapsalu, Estonia, founded in the thirteenth century as the seat of the

Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

. According to legend, during full moons in August, an image of a maiden, The White Lady, appears on the inner wall of the chapel.

History

In 1228, the Archbishop of Riga,

Albert of Riga Albert of Riga or Albert of Livonia ( – 17 January 1229) was the third Catholic Bishop of Riga in Livonia. As the Bishop of Livonia, in 1201, he founded Riga, the modern capital city of Latvia, and the city was later made a bishopric. The bu ...

formed a new diocese consisting of Läänemaa,

Saaremaa Saaremaa (; ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring , its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hi ...

and

Hiiumaa Hiiumaa ( , ) is the second largest island in Estonia and is part of the West Estonian archipelago, in the Baltic Sea. It has an area of 989 km2 and is 22 km from the Estonian mainland. Its largest town is Kärdla. It is located within ...

and designated Gottfried, an abbot of Dünamünde

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery, as the bishop. The bishopric was created as a state of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

on 1 October 1228, by

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

King of the Romans King of the Romans (; ) was the title used by the king of East Francia following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German king between his election and coronatio ...

Papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

Wilhelm of Modena fixed these borders permanently in 1234. The first residence of the

was located in Lihula Castle, where with the help of the

Livonian Brothers of the Sword The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (; ) was a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (monastic society), military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert of Riga, Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theode ...

, a stronghold was built of stone. In an attempt to avoid conflicts with the influential Order, the Bishop transferred the diocese's residence to Perona, where it was burned by

Lithuanians Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...

ten years later. A new center for the diocese was chosen in

Haapsalu Haapsalu () is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Lääne County, and on 1 January 2020 it had a population of 9,375. History The name ''Haapsalu'' derives from the Estonian words ' ...

, where an Episcopal stronghold and cathedral were started. Construction of the castle continued for three centuries.

Castle

The building, widening and reconstruction of the stronghold went on throughout several centuries, with the architecture changing according to the development of weapons. The stronghold achieved its final dimensions – area of more than 30,000 square metres, thickness of the wall between , and maximum height over – under the reign of Bishop Johannes IV Kievel (1515–1527). The western side of the castle houses a watchtower dating from the 13th century, later used as a bell tower. The walls were later raised to . The inner trenches and blindages, which were built for cannons and as a shelter from bombing, date back to the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) concerned control of Terra Mariana, Old Livonia (in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia). The Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of the Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian Realm, the Kingdom ...

(1558–1582), during which the stronghold was severely damaged. The walls of the small castle and the outer fortification were left partly destroyed. In the 17th century, the castle was no longer used as a defensive building by the Swedes who now ruled the Swedish Estonian Province. In the course of the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

in 1710, Estonia fell under Russian rule and the walls were partially demolished at the command of the

Peter I of Russia Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned jointly with his half-brother Ivan V until 1696. From this year, ...

, turning the castle in effect into ruins.

St. Nicholas Cathedral

The Cathedral of Haapsalu was a

(i.e. the main church) of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, where the throne, the official chair of the Bishop, was situated and where the Chapter of the Bishopric worked. It is the biggest single-naved church in the Baltic countries, with its -high domical vaults and an area of . The first written record of the church is the charter of Haapsalu where Bishop Hermann I, the founder of the town wrote: "...we, the ones having established the cathedral in Haapsalu and having provided our canons with the appropriate dwellings and income, determined a certain site to be a town, where everybody who has chosen it as their place of living together with us, could gather and find shelter there; and if needed would be able to defend the church with all the means at their disposal." Built in 1260, the church belongs to the transition period from Romanesque to

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

. The first is characterized by the plant ornament of the capital of the pilasters and the second by three star (asteroid) vaults. The portal was also originally Romanesque – the

wimperg In Gothic architecture, a wimperg is a gable-like crowning over portals and windows and is also called an ''ornamental gable''. Outside of immediate architecture, the wimperg is also found as a motif in Gothic carving. Etymology The word has ...

on the round arch had a niche with the figure of the patron saint. The inner walls were covered with paintings, the floor consisting of the gravestones of clergymen and distinguished noblemen. A unique round baptismal chapel was built in the second half of the 14th century. During the

, Estonia became part of the Lutheran

Swedish kingdom Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The Catholic Dome Church became a church with a Lutheran congregation and was then called the Castle Church. In 1625, the Swedish King

Gustav II Adolf Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

sold the town of Haapsalu, the castle and the nearby land property to Count

Jacob De la Gardie Field Marshal and Count Jacob Pontusson De la Gardie (20 June 1583 – 22 August 1652) was a wikt:statesman, statesman and a soldier of the Swedish Empire, and a Marshal from 1620 onward. He was Privy Council of Sweden, Privy Councilor from ...

, who planned to turn the dilapidated stronghold into a modern castle. Arent Passer, a well-known sculptor and master builder, was invited as a consultant. On March 23, 1688, the sheet-copper roof of the church was destroyed in a fire, but the church was restored relatively quickly. The storm in 1726 destroyed the roof again. The decreased congregation could not afford the renovation and moved to the town church. In the 19th century, the reconstruction of the ruins into a romantic castle park was started. In 1886–1889, the church was renovated and rebuilt. The ruined Romanesque-style portal was replaced by the pseudo-Gothic "stepped portal", the extant fragments of the wall paintings were covered over, and the tombstones were taken out of the church. On October 15, 1889, the first service dedicated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

was held. The

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into three differe ...

in 1940 led to the closing of the church. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, services were continued, but in the spring of 1944 hooligans broke into the church and destroyed the altar with the altarpiece, the organ, the chairs and the windows. In 1946, the congregation asked the Soviet government to list the cathedral as a protected historical monument, but it failed to raise their interest. The church was empty for years; for some time it was used for storing grain, and even plans for turning it into a swimming-pool were made. On

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in Mar ...

of 1992, a Mother's Altar to commemorate Estonian mothers killed during the Soviet occupation was consecrated. The statue of the Virgin and the Child was made by the sculptor Hille Palm.

Legend of the White Lady

On full moon nights in August an image of a maiden, The White Lady, is said to appear on the inner wall of the chapel. During the reign of Ösel-Wiek Bishop, every

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

was supposed to lead a chaste and virtuous life according to the rules of the monastery. Access of women to the Episcopal Castle was forbidden with threat of death. A legend tells that a canon fell in love with an Estonian girl and secretly brought the maiden into the castle. She hid by dressing as a

choirboy A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble. As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that "Boy Scout" (also derisively) refers to someone who is considered honor ...

and remained a secret for a long time, but when the bishop visited Haapsalu again, the young singer caught his attention and he ordered an investigation of the singer's

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

. Upon finding the girl, the bishop summoned his council and it decided that the girl should be immured in the wall of the chapel and the canon was to be put in prison, where he was starved to death. The builders left a cavity into the wall and the girl, with a piece of bread and a mug of water, was walled in. For some time her cries for help were heard. Yet, it is believed, her

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

could not find peace and, as a result, she appears on the Baptistery's window to grieve for her beloved man, and to prove the immortality of love. The White Lady Days music festival is held at the time of the August full moon.

References

External links