The medieval Lutheran Church of Karja is located in Estonia, in the north of the island of Saaremaa, in the municipality of Lacy, on the outskirts of the village of Linnaka. The exact date of construction of the temple is unknown. In the annals it is mentioned that in 1254 a small wooden church stood on the site of the current church. The stone temple was obviously built at the end of the 13th century by Swedish craftsmen who arrived from the island of Gotland. Initially, the church was consecrated in honor of Saints Katarina and Nicholas, over time, the temple began to be called the church of Katarina in Karia. Divine services are held here regularly for over 700 years, until 1896 the Baltic Germans were parishioners of the church, the first clergyman of Estonian origin was Karl Wörmann, who served in the church in 1896-1926. In architectural terms, the Karia church is a one-nave temple without a bell tower. The church was built in the Romanesque and Gothic styles, the Saaremaa Dolomite was used as building material. The thick walls of the temple, in case of danger, could shelter local residents from the enemy. The interior of the church contrasts sharply with the harsh exterior of the building. The interior is richly decorated with sculptures and bas-reliefs; in their number, the Karia church is ahead of all the village temples of Northern Europe. Moreover, the temple itself is considered the smallest available on the islands of Saaremaa and Muhu. Carved stone reliefs depict Saints Catherine and Nicholas, scenes from the Bible and the crucifixion of Christ. Sculptural compositions were performed at different times by masters from Germany, Sweden and France. On the ceiling and walls of the temple there are well-preserved frescoes depicting pagan symbols, pentagrams and grotesque devils. To this day, the church has preserved the chair, made in 1638 by a craftsman from Kuressaare Balthazar Raschke, a font of the XIV century and a crucifix dating from the XV century. The organ in the neo-Gothic style was made in 1882 by the master Gustav Norman. In the courtyard of the temple are three tombstones of the XIV-XV centuries, decorated with Maltese and Greek crosses. The church has a souvenir shop where you can buy church books, cards and icons.