Hageri St. Lambertus Church

The church is a Wayfarer's church http://www.teelistekirikud.ekn.ee/

Hageri was one of the largest and oldest parishes in the former Harjumaa, also embracing the later territories of Rapla and Juuru parishes. The first church was built in Hageri by the Danish missionaries presumably already in 1221.

Other than the name nothing was preserved from this and the following church until our days. Saint Lambertus is unknown in Estonia. Other than Hageri we have not a single church protected by this saint.

Hageri church and the priest are first mentioned in archive materials dating back to 1424. This church was destroyed by fire that was caused by unfortunate heating of the sacristy on 3 May 1710, and it was restored by the end of 1713. In the meantime church services were held in Sutlema manor.

The fire of 1710 caused damage also to the altar created by Christjan Ackermann, one of Estonia's most famous woodcarvers of Baroque period, and today only parts of Ackermann's altar wall are used in the present altar wall made by Johann Valentin Rabe. Restoration costs  were covered by the owner of Sutlema manor Captain von Baer and his spouse, and in 1731 they donated the altar to the church. Their coats of arms are located on the altar wall.
Despite repairs of 1803 and 1822 and larger building work of 1851, in the course of which the vaults and the roof were renewed, the church building was still in a relatively poor state. The national awakening of the 19th century resulted in increase of the congregation to the extent that the church became too small for it. At first there were plans only to enlarge the church, and the teacher Aleksander Hörschelmann initiated collection of contributions for building of the western tower.

However, after Aleksander Hörschelmann's death in 1886, plans to build a completely new church started to shape up under the leadership of his brother August Hörschelmann who became the church teacher. The necessary permit was obtained in 1889. The last church service in the old church was held on 9 September 1890 and the new church was consecrated and opened for the congregation on 13 September 1892.

The new church was designed by the architect of the provincial government Erwin Bernhard, and built by master Lukk Koselt. Architecture of the place of worship talks the language of the era of Historism – the building is stylish in its own way, combining church building elements of Roman, Gothic and Eastern Church traditions.

The altar was brought into the new church from the old one. However, preference was given to a new altar painting, and so a new oil painting depicting Crucifixion was purchased from Berlin. It has been preserved until our days.

Angerja-Kohila church of the congregation of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church
 

The Orthodox Angerja Parish was formed in 1893 as a result of division of the Juuru Orthodox Parish into two. The parish and the church received their names by the first village that converted from Lutheran to Orthodox faith. At the beginning church services were held in the Salutaguse school building, and later in Pahkla. In 1897 the government appropriated the land plot for building of a church and the congregation house from Tohisoo and Kohila manors, and on 4 July 1899 the cornerstone of the new church was laid and consecration took place. The church was built according to design of the architect V. I. Lunski, and blessed on 28 January 1901. Although the congregation had 7 dessiatins of land (1 dessiatin=1.0925 hectares), it was still not enough for a graveyard, and at first the dead were buried in the Lutheran graveyard of Hageri, where there was a separate part allocated for the Orthodox congregation. The church received its own graveyard only in 1920, and the first funeral took place there on 13 August 1920. The graveyard is located in the area behind the church.

Archpriest Karp Oberpahl  can be considered as the most honoured clergyman of the congregation, having led spiritual life of the congregation for 40 years, yet forced to resign from his position in 1934 due to disagreements with some church council members. His caring attitude to the oppressed ones and wide range of interests are reflected in the chronicles of the congregation. On 10 February 1935 the former deacon of the Mõniste-Ristiku congregation Konon Kolon was consecrated as the new priest of the Angerja congregation.

The war that started in 1939, grievous period of occupation and Stalin's repressions had a devastating effect on the church. On 8 December 1940 K.Kolon resigned from his position, leaving the congregation orphaned. The following short period of time saw a number of priests replace each other, and in 1950 a petition for liquidation of the congregation and its acceptance as a secondary congregation of the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord was submitted. The Angerja congregation was officially closed on 22 November 1951. Priest Konon Kolon stayed in Angerja, and after the congregation was closed he provided support for local Orthodox Christians. (K.Kolon died on 11 June 1955 and was buried at Angerja-Kohila graveyard).

The congregation was restored in 1993. The idea was initiated by Wladimir von Berens, the priest of the congregation of the Church Of The Holy Trinity in Lelle.

At present the congregation is served by the priest Mattias Palli.

Dear family researches!

On the following page http://www.genealoogia.ee/esivanemad/angerja/ you will find the birth, marriage and death certificate registers of the congregation of Ascension of Our Lord in Angerja of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church available in SAAGA, search of the necessary information in which can be conveniently performed using the modern search system.

Kohila Baptist Congregation

The story of free congregations of Estonia begins at the end of the 19th century, when Russification lead to spiritual awakening of Estonian peasants of Läänemaa and Hiiumaa with the emphasis on reading the Holy Scripture and living according to it. The beginning of the Kohila Baptist congregation is related to the uprising of 1905, and it culminated in registration in 1909. The present congregation includes almost 150 active members, and their motto is to honour Jesus and spread his love.