The Obinitsa Church of Transfiguration of Our Lord

The Obinitsa Church of Transfiguration of Our Lord
The Obinitsa Church of Transfiguration of Our Lord
Basic information
Location	Obinitsa, Meremäe Parish, Estonia
Geographic coordinates	57°48′54″N 27°26′33″E / 57.81500°N 27.44250°E / 57.81500; 27.44250
Affiliation	Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church
Country	Estonia
Year consecrated	1950-1952

Coordinates: 57°48′54″N 27°26′33″E / 57.81500°N 27.44250°E / 57.81500; 27.44250

The Obinitsa Church of Transfiguration of Our Lord is a church belonging to the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church in Obinitsa, Estonia.

The building of the former Obinitsa School-Church was constructed in 1897 and was inaugurated in 1904. The school-church, unique in the Baltics, was a wooden two-storied building with a bell tower. In 1950, the church was closed and the building given to the school. This action was based in Soviet anti-religious legislation that separated church and state and forced the handover of religious properties to the state. This activity was based on a written regulation from the former chairman of the Estonian SSR Council of Ministers, Arnold Veimer, to the chairman of the Meremäe rural municipality Executive Committee.

The congregation of the closed church was given one hectare of land and two old abandoned buildings for a new church. The new Obinitsa church is next to the cemetery by the road leading from Obinitsa to Piusa. In 1950, local priest Vilemon Talomees, supported by the local community, began building a new church. At first, he worked alone; then congregation members joined him. The Võru County deanery did not support the building, as they were busy building Meeksi Church.