Estonian buyer takes on 19th-century church ruins as passion project
A longtime fan of churches, Margus Tammemäe turned a decades-long fascination into action when he bought Estonia's Sinalepa St. Nicholas Apostolic Orthodox Church.
"I've been fascinated by churches for decades already," Tammemäe said. "When I travel, I visit every church along the way. In recent years I've even dared say out loud that I'd like to own a church myself. But I never would've believed it could actually happen in this lifetime."
Three years ago, Tammemäe was hit by a car while riding his bike and spent months in a neck brace. The entire experience shaped his outlook.
He said there are two types of people: creators and destroyers. "I want to leave my own mark behind," he said, choosing to create.
Tammemäe came across the ruins of the Sinalepa church by chance. The property, put up for sale by auction by the City of Haapsalu, included a schoolhouse and a barn that villagers once used for livestock. By the time he bought it, the whole complex was overgrown.
"An entire year has gone into cleaning and clearing here," he said.
The church itself was built in about two years and consecrated on September 10, 1896. It was closed in 1962, well into Estonia's Soviet occupation, and handed over to the local sovkhoz, or state-owned farm.
'Takes nerves of steel'
Art historian and restorer Juhan Kilumets praised the craftsmanship of the brick and fieldstone Sinalepa church but cautioned that restoring ruins is a long, difficult process.
"The first step is documentation — recording the condition as accurately as possible," Kilumets said. "Then comes making the ruins safe by preserving them." Only then, if energy and money allow, can the actual restoration work begin.
"In this case, we're even talking about reconstruction here, because those losses are so great," he added, acknowledging the utopian scale of the task.
Undeterred, Tammemäe plans to take it step by step.
"Next season, I'd make it safe and host some outdoor events," he said, suggesting possible dinners, birthday parties or even concerts. "I know I'll be putting years [of my life] into this," he added.
Kilumets acknowledged that ruins can wear down even the most determined owner.
"At some point, they prove to be a tougher nut than you thought," he said. "You just work and work and work on it, and still all you have is ruins, and things crumble from the start... It takes nerves of steel, not to mention money."
Even so, this church seems to have ended up in the right hands.
"Ruins are the biggest headache in a real estate portfolio, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone," Kilumets admitted. "But luckily, there are men who think differently."
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Editor: Annika Remmel, Aili Vahtla
