Kolila is a village in
Haapsalu municipality,
Lääne County
Lääne County ( or ''Läänemaa'', literally "Western land"; ; ) is one of the 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in western Estonia and borders the Baltic Sea to the north, Harju County to the north-east, Rapla County to the east, Pärnu Cou ...
, in western
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
. Prior to the 2017
administrative reform of local governments, it was located in
Ridala Parish
Ridala () was a rural municipality of Estonia, in Lääne County. It had a population of 3,245 (2016) and an area of .
In 2007 it was merged with the city of Haapsalu
Haapsalu () is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Eston ...
.
Ridala Church
Ridala Church in Kolila village is considered one of the most interesting churches in
Lääne County
Lääne County ( or ''Läänemaa'', literally "Western land"; ; ) is one of the 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in western Estonia and borders the Baltic Sea to the north, Harju County to the north-east, Rapla County to the east, Pärnu Cou ...
, Estonia. It dates from the second half of the 13th century, with the tower added around 1500. In the 18th century, one of the vaults collapsed and a heavy buttress added on the western wall, to compensate the weight distribution. The church still retains its archaic, medieval atmosphere. The main west portal is finely sculpted and decorated with a sculpture of
St. Mary Magdalene, one of the oldest surviving sculptures in Estonia. Inside, medieval mural painting survive, as do the noteworthy altar, triumphal cross and pulpit, which however all are of later date. Adjacent to the church is the graveyard with some of the graves dating from the 13th century.
References
Villages in Lääne County
{{Lääne-geo-stub