The story of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Few buildings in Tallinn have stirred as much debate as the cathedral in front of you. It was built on Toompea hill in 1894–1900, when Estonia was part of the Russian Empire, to a design by architect Mikhail Preobrazhensky in a typical Russian Revival style, and it is the city's largest cupola church. Look up at the five onion domes, each crowned with a gilded iron cross.

The base is Finnish granite, and the church has eleven bells cast in Saint Petersburg; the largest weighs about 16 tons, more than the other ten combined. Inside stand three gilded, carved wooden iconostases, with icons painted on copper and zinc plates. Because it rose during a period of Russification, many Estonians long disliked it as a symbol of oppression.

In 1924 architect Karl Burman even proposed demolishing it, and demolition was planned for 1 May 1929, but it was cancelled. Neglected in the Soviet years, the cathedral has been carefully restored since 1991.