Sakraalhoonete paiknemine ja kultuur­ maastik: Vana­Läänemaa kirikud ja kihelkonnad 13. sajandil
Sacred Buildings and the Cultural Landscape: Churches and Parishes in 13th-Century Läänemaa

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the establishment of churches in 13th-century Läänemaa (Lääne County, western Estonia) based on known stone churches which presumably replaced old wooden sanctuaries. These early ecclesiastical buildings are analysed not only as religious monuments but also as indicators of political authority, social change, and cultural landscapes. By examining their placement in relation to settlements, hill forts, harbours, roads, and natural features, the study shows how local conditions shaped the spread of Christianity and the formation of parishes in medieval Estonia. The research questions long-standing assumptions that parish churches were centrally located, tied to pre-Christian sacred sites, or consistently linked with strongholds. Instead, churches appear in diverse contexts: on a nobleman’s estate, near harbours, at former burial grounds, or on the margins of settlement clusters. Many of the first wooden churches could have functioned as private or semi-private sanctuaries, reflecting the role of local elites in introducing Christianity. Their later replacement by stone churches signalled the consolidation of ecclesiastical power and the integration of parishes into wider structures of taxation and administration. Environmental reconstruction forms a central part of the study. Due to land uplift and extensive wetlands, the medieval landscape differed markedly from today. Using digital elevation models, soil data, and archaeological surveys, the authors recreate the 13th-century terrain to illustrate how waterways, coasts, and arable land influenced both settlement patterns and church placement. Ridala, Kullamaa, Hanila, Karuse, and Soontagana each reveal distinct configurations of villages, hillforts, and routes, demonstrating that no single model explains the location of churches.

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