The church was built between 1787 and 1816, and the cornerstone was laid on May 31, 1787. The stone church was designed by the Riga architect Christoph Haberland. Previously there had only been wooden churches in Valga, which were often destroyed in wars and fires. The church was built on the site of the former cemetery and later market square, which is now the center of Valga. The church was built with donations. It took two years to put a roof on the church, but lack of funds delayed completion until 1816 when the bell tower was completed. Emperor Alexander I donated 5,000 rubles, and the church was completed and consecrated on September 3, 1816. In 2016 the 200th anniversary of the Jaani Church of Valga was celebrated (Translated from Wikipedia).