As the city of Viljandi grew in the mid-19th century, a single church in the city became too small for the residents. The lord of Viljandi, Baron Ungern-Sternberg, gave the parish a plot of land from his estate to build a new church.
Interesting facts: • The architect of the sacred building, consecrated in 1866, was Matthias von Holst. • The building used so-called Tudor Gothic forms popular at the time. • The author of the altarpiece "Christ on the Cross" was Karl Christian Andreae. • Since 1866, the church has housed the organ by G. Knauf, the largest of its kind in Estonia, which still functions today.