Mänspäe Church and Cemetery

Mänspäe Church and CemeteryIn the cemetery stands a memorial stone for fourteen coastal villagers who were massacred on October 12, 1941, by Soviet troops retreating from the German invasion.Mänspäe Church and CemeteryAround 1690, so the story goes, a ship ran aground on rocks nearby, but the crew reached land safely. As a sign of gratitude to the higher powers for their rescue, a chapel was built at the site of their deliverance.Initially, the Mänspäe chapel belonged to the Käina parish. After the Emmaste Church was built in 1866, the Emmaste parish, the fourth and newest in Hiiumaa, was formed.By the early 20th century, the chapel had fallen into such disrepair that a new one had to be built. The current Mänspäe Church was built as a subsidiary church of the Emmaste Church and was consecrated on October 26, 1908.AppropriateThe close connection of the inhabitants of Emmaste to the sea is vividly demonstrated by the large number of sailors and shipowners buried in the Mänspäe cemetery, whose gravestones often feature an anchor or a ship as a design element.Many prominent figures from education and culture have found their final resting place in the Mänspäe cemetery.The elderly patients of the Tohvri nursing home who have no family are also buried in the Mänspäe cemetery.There is a memorial stone for fourteen villagers who were murdered on October 12, 1941, by the Soviet army retreating from the German landing forces.LEADERAround 1690, so the story goes, a ship ran aground on rocks nearby, but the crew reached land safely. As a sign of gratitude to the higher powers for their rescue, a chapel was built at the site of their deliverance.Initially, the chapel at Mänspäe belonged to the Käina parish. After the Emmaste Church was built in 1866, the Emmaste parish, the fourth and newest in Hiiumaa, was formed.By the early 20th century, the chapel had fallen into such disrepair that a new one had to be built. The current Mänspäe Church was built as a subsidiary church of the Emmaste Church and was consecrated on October 26, 1908.AppropriateThe close connection of the inhabitants of Emmaste to the sea is vividly demonstrated by the large number of sailors and shipowners buried in the Mänspäe cemetery, whose gravestones often feature an anchor or a ship as a design element.Many prominent figures from education and culture have found their final resting place in the Mänspäe cemetery.The elderly patients of the Tohvri nursing home who have no family are also buried in the Mänspäe cemetery.There is a memorial stone for fourteen villagers who were murdered on October 12, 1941, by the Soviet army retreating from the German landing forces.LEADER