The St. Nicholas' Church, consecrated to merchants’ and seamen’s patron St Nicholas, is architectually one of the most integral and harmonious medieval churches in Estonia. During the Soviet air-raid on March 9, 1944 the St. Nicholas' Church and the buildings surrounding it were severely damaged. The most precious art treasures survived merely thanks to their timely evacuation from the church. Hence, besides Baroque epitaphs and other masterworks of carving, a remarkable collection of Renaissance and Baroque chandeliers, as well as the 14-17th century tombstones covering the floor of the Chapel of St Matthew (later St Anthony), but also such invaluable rarities from the 15–16th centuries as the high altar, the initial fragment of the famous painting Danse Macabre and the altar of St Anthony survived. The ruined church was restored and inaugurated in 1984 as a museum-concert hall, where the collection of medieval art of the Art Museum of Estonia is exposed, and also organ and choir music concerts can be enjoyed regularly.

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