Unique cemetery tower in Kanepi fully restored, awaits bell
A one-of-a-kind freestanding wooden bell tower in South Estonia has been restored, though it is currently still bell-less, thanks to metal thieves in the 1990s.
The bell tower, in Kanepi, Põlva County, was built by peasants in the late 19th and is of a kind once common in Livonia, the historical area covering much of southern Estonia and Latvia.
However as of the present day, structures have practically vanished; Kanepi's tower is now the only one of its kind in mainland Estonia which has been fully preserved.
Anu Lepp, advisor at the state Heritage Board (Muinsuskaitseamet) in Põlva County, took up the story of why such a prominent tower was needed in a small village.
She noted Kanepi has two cemeteries, one in the center, located next to the church and the other, the Kanepi-Ala cemetery, established in 1847, situated about a kilometer away.
"It was immediately understood that a bell tower was necessary because the church bell couldn't be heard well here [at Kanepi-Ala]," she said.
"Back in the 1880s, this matter was taken seriously: Collections were made, the choir sang, local farmers pooled their funds, and so a grand bell tower got built here."
Lepp noted that a lot of materials used to build the wooden tower were likely repurposed. "There are some joints in the rafters, which suggests they had been used before, likely in another building. A kind of 19th-century recycling," she noted.
Now the bell tower has been restored and stands intact, yet the bell itself is not present. Back in the early 1990s, metal thieves had stolen it, though this tale has a happy ending, too.
Former Kanepi senior police officer Toivo Mündi said that metal stealing was common during that time. "People stole electric cables, motors, and of course that bronze bell, but apparently they couldn't find a buyer who would take it."
Ultimately the bell was dumped in a nearby forest, where Mündi found it, purely by chance.
"It just stayed there — covered in spruce and pine needles; it had been lying there for a long time," he recalled, noting that no criminal report was ever filed in respect of the theft.
Lepp noted that the bell is currently registered as an art monument with the heritage board and is kept at the Heimtali church in Võru County. "It has been 'loaned' there, so to speak, until the bell tower is fully restored," she added.
The bell was likely installed in the bell tower in 1889, she added.
Negotiations are now underway at congregation and parish levels, to bring the bell back from Heimtali to its original place in the tower. In the meantime, visitors to the cemetery say they are already pleased enough to see the restored tower.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Valner Väino
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera'
