GREAT GALLERY. Wonderful: Birds and animals venture to the Christmas tree of the St. Nicholas Museum
The Niguliste Museum, located in the heart of Tallinn’s Old Town, invites you for the seventh time to participate in the fairytale Christmas season and see the wonderful Christmas tree.
Already for the seventh year Shishi surprises with a splendid Christmas tree, the decoration of which was created especially for the St. Nicholas Museum. This year there are birds and animals on the Christmas tree: realistic reindeer, deer, hedgehogs, squirrels and owls peek out from the green branches.
For the first time, to decorate the tree set up for Christmas 2016, we took inspiration from Niguliste’s most famous work, Bernt Notke’s painting “The Dance of Death”. In 2017, however, we were surprised by a brighter theme: a shiny, silver Christmas tree with adorable ornaments based on Victorian Christmas traditions. In 2018 we celebrated the centenary of the Republic of Estonia and the Christmas tree was more festive than before and dedicated to the anniversary of the Homeland. In 2019 the Christmas tree was heavenly themed and decorated with beautiful and colorful parrots, in 2020 the theme chosen was closeness to nature and environmental sustainability and in 2021 a joyful abundance of colours. Last year, in 2022, the St. Nicholas Museum was closed for reconstruction work.
A glimpse of the historic center during the holidays
Christmas at Niguliste has become a welcoming tradition and the beginning of the winter holidays at the museum. Visitors have the opportunity to take part in the Christmas glow of the medieval sanctuary and magnificent works of art, and to discover for the first time the bell tower open to the public, where you can ascend to the sky floor in a glass elevator and enjoy the view of Tallinn’s old town during the holidays,” explains Merike Kurisoo, program manager and curator of the Niguliste Museum.
The centerpiece of the Christmas program is the retable of the main altar of the church of San Nicola
The St. Nicholas Museum welcomes all guests to take part in public programs and Christmas events. “This time the museum’s Christmas program focuses on one of our most famous works, the retable from the main altar of the St. Nicholas Church, made in 1481 in the workshop of Hermen Rode in Lübeck. One of the main characters of the work is Nikolaus , the patron saint of St. Nicholas Church, from whose legends the tradition of Santa Claus began”, introduces Merike Kurisoo. The museum invites visitors to take part in a special evening tour. The Christmas guided tour on 19 December at 6pm is intended for individual visitors, families and small groups of friends and takes place when the museum is closed for regular visitors.M
Workshops, museum lessons and concerts
On the second Advent, December 10th, a workshop on making Christmas decorations will be held.
The Nicola Museum invites school and kindergarten children to participate in the Christmas-themed museum course “Legends of Saint Nicholas”. Lessons at the museum take place by appointment.
In addition to the traditional Niguliste organ half hours, the museum delights in organ concerts at Christmas time. On the four Advent weekends (3, 10, 17 and 23 December) organ music performed by the well-known organists Tiit Kiige and Andres Uibo will be played all day in the Niguliste Museum.
The Christmas period lasts until January 7 at the San Nicola Museum.
I am sending a selection of images of the opening of the Christmas tree in the first Advent. We would really appreciate it if you could post them! In case of publication please indicate the author of the photos as Endel Apsalon.
2023-12-09 11:44:41
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