Ridala – church of St Mary Magdalene

History

   The church of St. Mary Magdalene was built in the second half of the 13th century. Around 1500, a tower on the south side was added. In the eighteenth century, one of the vaults collapsed, therefore the western facade of the temple was strengthened with powerful buttresses.

Architecture

   Originally, the church consisted of a rectangular nave and a shorter and narrower chancel ended with a straight wall on the eastern side. At the end of the Middle Ages, a massive tower was added, quite unusually, because from the south. There is also a western portal with wimperg and sculpture of Saint Mary Magdalene, which is considered one of the oldest in Estonia. Inside, there are medieval wall polychromes from the 14th century.

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