The Dominican friars arrived in Tallinn in 1239 and established a first community on Tompea Hill. In 1266, they moved to the lower town, where part of the medieval building still stands.

1990. In the 1990s, the Dominican Order, or Order of Preachers, experienced a new rise in Eastern Europe – monasteries that had been nationalized during communist regimes were returned, and young people who felt a calling to join the order found their way to the Dominicans. The Dominicans returned to Tallinn in November 1996.

In Tallinn, the brothers settled on the territory of a medieval monastery at Müürivahe 33, where a chapel was also built. The re-established monastery was dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena. The brothers, in black cloaks and white robes, once again moved around the Monastic Courtyard, as they had done centuries ago, signaling that even in a rapidly changing world, there is timeless value and continuity.

Today, the Dominican mission in Tallinn is still active. Brother Alain Arnould OP from Belgium lives in the small monastery. There is also a Dominican laity – a group of people who share the spirituality and goals of the order. The Tallinn mission falls under the jurisdiction of the French province of the order.