Paldiski St. George Orthodox Church

59.3490,24.0545

St. George Orthodox Church in Paldiski is a typical example of a stone church with classicist baroque roots; it was built between 1784 and 1787.  However, its history dates back further: the Paldiski Apostolic Orthodox congregation, founded in 1721, started when a simple tent was erected as a church for the soldiers and workmen who had been sent here to carry out fortifying work commissioned by Russian czar Peter the Great. A wooden church replaced the original tent-church (constructed in 1724–1728). It was consecrated in late 1728 in honour of St. George the Martyr. Bell tower and onion-domed altar, which were demolished during the Soviet occupation, are still to be restored. The church is listed in the National Registry of Cultural Monuments.