St. Catherine's Passage

St. Catherine's Passage is a narrow cobblestone alley in Tallinn's medieval old town, threading along the outer wall of the 13th-century Dominican monastery of St. Catherine. The monastery was abandoned during the Reformation in 1524, but the Gothic wall with its arched niches survived the centuries intact. Today those niches house a row of small artisan studios where craftspeople make and sell ceramics, glass, and handwoven textiles in situ. Medieval tombstones from the monastery church lean against the wall, marking the passage with an atmosphere that feels closer to the 15th century than the present. At barely shoulder-width in places, it is one of the most intimate corners of Tallinn's lower old town.