Catholic Church in Estonia

[1] At the beginning of the 13th century, Estonia was conquered by the German Teutonic Order during the Livonian Crusade and thus was one of the last territories in Europe to be Christianized.

Based on archaeological relics, such as crosses and metal book corners, some areas of Estonia were Christian prior to the 13th century.

Imperial Russia granted vast privileges to the resident Baltic-German nobility of Estonia, including freedom to practice their Lutheran faith.

Before World War II broke out, there were almost 5,000 Catholics in Estonia (Tallinn: 2.333, Tartu: 1.073, Narva: ca.

They arrested Bishop Profittlich who subsequently died in a Soviet prison in Siberia in 1942 after being sentenced to death as a Vatican spy.

[citation needed] After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Estonia regained its independence and was re-recognized by the Holy See on 28 August 1991.

Two parishes in Estonia (Tallinn and Tartu) are of the Greek Catholic Church and serve a mostly Ukrainian congregation.