Furst Gabriel or Last Days of the Pirita Monastery
Encyclopedia
Furst Gabriel or Last Days of the Pirita Monastery is an Estonia
n historical novelle by Eduard Bornhöhe
.
This historical story, first published in 1893, is the last of Eduard Bornhöhe
's historical novelles, as in 1893, the Russian Empire's censorship
prohibited publication of historical novelles, fearing it might cause too strong patriotic
feelings in provincial regions.
The story is set during a Livonian War
era peasant uprising. A central plot device is a Catholic
nunnery dedicated to St. Brigitta (see Pirita monastery
). The monastery's medieval buildings are currently in ruins
and considered a museum
; however, the organisational structure was restored after end of Soviet occupation.
While other major historical novelles by Eduard Bornhöhe
have been included in lists of mandatory reading by Soviet authorities, this book was usually considered too long for that, and thus, it's mostly known through its extremely popular 1969 movie adaptation, Viimne reliikvia
(Estonian
for The last relic) directed by Grigori Kromanov
and adapted by Arvo Valton
.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n historical novelle by Eduard Bornhöhe
Eduard Bornhöhe
Eduard Bornhöhe , born Eduard Brunberg , was an Estonian writer.Bornhöhe is generally considered a pioneer of the genre of Estonian historical novel, as a lion's share of his creations consist of romanticism-influenced historical adventure stories.- Bibliography :*1880 Tasuja *1890 Villu võitlused...
.
This historical story, first published in 1893, is the last of Eduard Bornhöhe
Eduard Bornhöhe
Eduard Bornhöhe , born Eduard Brunberg , was an Estonian writer.Bornhöhe is generally considered a pioneer of the genre of Estonian historical novel, as a lion's share of his creations consist of romanticism-influenced historical adventure stories.- Bibliography :*1880 Tasuja *1890 Villu võitlused...
's historical novelles, as in 1893, the Russian Empire's censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
prohibited publication of historical novelles, fearing it might cause too strong patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
feelings in provincial regions.
The story is set during a Livonian War
Livonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
era peasant uprising. A central plot device is a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
nunnery dedicated to St. Brigitta (see Pirita monastery
Pirita monastery
Pirita Convent was a monastery, for both monks and nuns dedicated to St. Brigitta, in the district of Pirita in Tallinn, Estonia.The idea of founding the monastery dates to merchants of Tallinn of around 1400. In 1407, two monks from the Vadstena Abbey arrived to Tallinn to counsel the merchants...
). The monastery's medieval buildings are currently in ruins
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
and considered a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
; however, the organisational structure was restored after end of Soviet occupation.
While other major historical novelles by Eduard Bornhöhe
Eduard Bornhöhe
Eduard Bornhöhe , born Eduard Brunberg , was an Estonian writer.Bornhöhe is generally considered a pioneer of the genre of Estonian historical novel, as a lion's share of his creations consist of romanticism-influenced historical adventure stories.- Bibliography :*1880 Tasuja *1890 Villu võitlused...
have been included in lists of mandatory reading by Soviet authorities, this book was usually considered too long for that, and thus, it's mostly known through its extremely popular 1969 movie adaptation, Viimne reliikvia
Viimne reliikvia
Viimne reliikvia is a 1969 Estonian film adaptation of Vürst Gabriel ehk Pirita kloostri viimsed päevad , a historical novel by Eduard Bornhöhe...
(Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
for The last relic) directed by Grigori Kromanov
Grigori Kromanov
Grigori Kromanov was an Estonian theatre and film director. He directed some of the most known Estonian movies, including Viimne reliikvia and "Hukkunud Alpinisti" hotell .- External links :...
and adapted by Arvo Valton
Arvo Valton
Arvo Vallikivi , commonly known under the pen name of Arvo Valton, is an Estonian writer known for a number of books and, among other things, the script for Viimne reliikvia, the highly successful movie adaptation of Eduard Bornhöhe's Vürst Gabriel ehk Pirita kloostri viimsed päevad...
.