St. Olav, Tallinn
St. Olav, Tallinn was the world's tallest building from 1549 to 1625.*
Preceded by	Lincoln Cathedral, England
Surpassed by	Strasbourg Cathedral
Information
Location	Tallinn, Estonia
Status	Complete
Constructed	1438-1519
Height
Antenna/Spire	Original: 159 m (522 ft.) Current: 123 m (404 ft.)
Technical details
Floor count	n/a
*Fully habitable, self-supported, from main entrance to highest structural or architectural top; see world's tallest buildings and structures for other listings.

St. Olav's church or St. Olaf’s church (Estonian: Oleviste kirik) is believed to have been built in Tallinn, Estonia, in the 12th century and to have been the centre for old Tallinn's Scandinavian community already prior to the conquest of Tallinn by Denmark in 1219. Its dedication relates to King Olaf II of Norway (a.k.a. Saint Olaf, 995-1030). The first known written records referring to the church date back to 1267, and it was extensively rebuilt during the 14th century. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 26 KB)St. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 26 KB)St. ... Events July - Ketts Rebellion Francis Xavier arrives in Japan. ... Events March 27 - Prince Charles Stuart becomes King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... Lincoln Cathedral (in full The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, or sometimes St. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total... West façade of the cathedral The Cathédrale Notre-Dame (English Our Ladys Cathedral) in Strasbourg, France belongs to the grand history of European cathedrals architectural design. ... County Area 159. ... Events Pachacuti who would later create Tahuantinsuyu, or Inca Empire became the ruler of Cuzco In Italy, the siege of Brescia by the condottieri troops of Niccolò Piccinino was raised after the arrival of Scaramuccia da Forlì. January 1 - Albert II of Habsburg becomes King of Hungary March 18 - Albert... Events March 4 - Hernán Cortés lands in Mexico. ... The CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario is the worlds tallest freestanding structure on land at 553. ... County Area 159. ... // Events Saint Francis of Assisi introduces Catholicism into Egypt, during the Fifth Crusade The Flag of Denmark fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse Ongoing events Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Births Christopher I of Denmark (died 1259) Frederick II of Austria (died 1246) Guillaume de Gisors, supposedly the... Olaf II Haraldsson (995 – July 29, 1030), king from 1015–1028, (known during his lifetime as the Stout or Thick (Olav Digre) and after his canonization as Saint Olaf), was born in the year in which Olaf Tryggvason came to Norway. ... Events (Erik Segersäll) is succeeded by (Olof Skötkonung), the first baptized ruler of Sweden. ... Events July 29 - Battle of Stiklestad in Norway. ... For broader historical context, see 1260s and 13th century. ...

A legend tells that the builder of the church, named Olaf, upon its completion, fell to his death from atop the tower. It is said that when his body hit the ground, a snake and a toad crawled out of his mouth. There is a wall-carving depicting this event in the adjoining Chapel of Our Lady. For other uses, see Legendary (disambiguation). ... blue: sea snakes, black: land snakes Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae A snake is a scaly, limbless, elongate reptile from the order Squamata. ... Families At least 9, see article. ...

Around 1500, the building reached a height of 159 meters. The motivation for building such an immensely tall steeple must have been to use it as a maritime signpost, which made the trading city of Tallinn visible from far out at sea. Between 1549 and 1625, when the spire burnt down after a lightning strike, it was the tallest building in the world. The steeple of St. Olav has been hit by lightning at least eight times, and the whole church has burned down three times throughout its known existence. Following several rebuildings, its overall height is now 123 m. A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For many millennia the record holder for worlds tallest structure was clearly defined (see table below. ...

Until 1991, the Soviet KGB used Oleviste’s spire as a radio tower and surveillance point. It currently continues as an active Baptist church. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... The KGB emblem and motto: The sword and the shield KGB (transliteration of КГБ) is the Russian-language abbreviation for Committee for State Security, (Russian: ; Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging...

See also

• List of tallest churches

From the year 1311 until the advent of the skyscraper, Christian churches were among the tallest buildings in the world. ...

References

• Tourist Sights in Estonia
• The Legend of St Olav's Church
• St. Olav's Church, short history

External Links

Coordinates: 59°26′29.1″N, 24°44′52.1″E Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...