Sinalepa church

Located in the village of Panga near Haapsalu, the historic Sinalepa Church—officially known as St. Nicholas Church of Mäemõisa—was built in the 19th century. Set on a 3.04-hectare property, the site includes the church building (227 m² gross floor area), a former boarding school building, and an auxiliary building, forming a unique complex awaiting a new chapter.

The Mäemõisa Orthodox congregation was founded in 1883, with its first services held at Nakamaa Manor. The parish was officially registered in 1886 and had 953 members. St. Nicholas Church of Mäemõisa was consecrated on 10 September 1896. It is one of approximately twenty Orthodox churches built in Läänemaa at the end of the 19th century with the support of the Russian Empire.

In 1962, the Soviet authorities closed the church, and the building was converted into a grain warehouse for the state farm. The school remained in operation until 1992, providing education in the same location for nearly a century.

In 2025, the ruins found a new owner, and in 2026, the new Sinalepa non-profit organization was established with the aim of bringing this historic site back to life as a cultural and spiritual gathering place.

The new Sinalepa Church developers approached Mari Hunt Architects with the vision of giving Sinalepa Church a new lease on life. The church is envisioned as a place with renewed possibilities while preserving the story embodied within its remarkable historic ruins. The sense of sacredness inherent to buildings of this kind can never be overlooked. It was this sacred purpose that led to the church being built here, forever shaping the site into a place of lasting significance and monumentality.

In collaboration with the developers, we reinterpreted the idea of sacredness as a space for celebrating life’s meaningful moments. Family gatherings, weddings, celebrations, and bringing people together are, in themselves, among life’s most sacred occasions.