Execution sites
· Vanalinn
Right of Sanctuary in Churches
Medieval church sanctuary could offer temporary protection, but crossing a passage did not erase an offence.
A church’s protection and a secular court’s power stood in a complicated relationship in a medieval town. Reaching a sacred place might affect how pursuers could arrest someone, but the rules varied by time and place. Folklore associated with St Nicholas’ and the so-called Needle’s Eye sometimes suggests an automatic escape from justice. No such simple rule should be asserted as historical law. The story invites a question about where one authority ended and another began.
Practical information
Address: Niguliste 3
View St Nicholas’ Church and surrounding passages at Niguliste 3. Do not treat the Needle’s Eye tale as a legal rule.