When the town of Viljandi started to grow in the middle of the 19th century the only church in town became too small for the people. The Viljandi estate owner baron Ungern-Stenberg gave the community a part of his estate as building ground for the church.
Interesting to know: · The architect of the sanctuary that was consecrated in 1866 was Matthias von Holst. · During the construction of the building so called Tudor Gothic elements were used as they were fashionable at that time. · The author of the altar painting "Christ on the Cross" is Karl Christian Andreae. · Since 1866 a G. Knauf organ fills the church with music, the biggest still functional organ of its kind in Estonia.