St Olaf's Church (Oleviste)

St Olaf's Church (Oleviste kirik) at Lai 50 was the church of Tallinn's Scandinavian merchants and seafarers and is dedicated to King Olaf II of Norway. It is first mentioned in the written record in the 14th century, though a church likely existed from the 12th century, and the Gothic hall church was greatly extended in the 15th century. Its spire was raised after 1500, and by about 1549 reached roughly 159 m, which made it possibly the tallest building in the world for a period. The height also made it a target for lightning: it was struck repeatedly, with serious fires in 1625, 1820 and other years, and the spire was rebuilt lower each time. The present spire, rebuilt after the fire of 1820, is about 124 m tall and remains the highest point in Tallinn's Old Town skyline. The church was Lutheran from the Reformation and later passed to the Baptist congregation, which now uses it. During the Soviet period the tower was used by the KGB as a radio antenna and monitoring post, because its height allowed surveillance of Finnish broadcasts across the Gulf of Finland. The interior is a plain whitewashed nave with a 16th-century altar, and a medieval altarpiece survives only in fragments. Visitors can climb the tower in season by a spiral staircase of around 250 steps to an outdoor gallery at about 60 m, from which the Old Town roofs, harbour and ferries are visible. A local legend says a giant named Olev built the church and fell from the tower, and a toad and snake emerging from his mouth are tied into the story. The church sits on the northern edge of the Old Town, near the former sea gate, in a quieter district than Raekoja plats. Maintenance continues on the roof and masonry because of the spire's exposure to weather. The church illustrates the importance of Nordic trade in medieval Reval.