RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Estonia

Top 2

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Estonian Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Estonian Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow (1929 - 2008)

With an HPI of 62.62, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow is the most famous Estonian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 48 different languages on wikipedia.

Patriarch Alexy II (or Alexius II, Russian: Патриарх Алексий II; secular name Aleksei Mikhailovich Ridiger Russian: Алексе́й Миха́йлович Ри́дигер; 23 February 1929 – 5 December 2008) was the 15th Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. Elected Patriarch of Moscow in 1990, eighteen months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he became the first Russian Patriarch of the post-Soviet period.

2. Ilon Wikland (b. 1930)

With an HPI of 55.94, Ilon Wikland is the 2nd most famous Estonian Religious Figure.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Maire-Ilon Wikland (née Pääbo; born 5 February 1930) is an Estonian-born Swedish artist and illustrator. Wikland was born in Tartu, Estonia and raised in Haapsalu, Lääne County on Estonia's Baltic coast. In 1944 she escaped with the family of a classmate from the second Soviet occupation of Estonia, to Sweden, where she arrived as a refugee. In 1953 Wikland applied for a job as illustrator at Rabén & Sjögren. She was met by Astrid Lindgren, who had just finished writing the book Mio, my Son and who could see immediately that Wikland was able to "draw fairytales". Wikland did a test-drawing for the book and after that her collaboration with Lindgren continued. Wikland has said that Lindgren's writing continually makes her see inner pictures. She also derives inspiration for her pictures from real life. In the same way that Lindgren wrote for "the child within her", Wikland often also draws for the child within her. Wikland is the artist who has illustrated the greatest number of Lindgren's books: The Six Bullerby Children (a.k.a. The Children of Noisy Village) The Children on Troublemaker Street The Brothers Lionheart Karlsson-on-the-Roof Mardie Mio, My Son Simon Small Moves In Ronia the Robber's Daughter Seacrow Island The Ghost of Skinny Jack The Red Bird. She has also provided the illustrations for many picture books by Lindgren and many other writers, including The Dragon with Red Eyes, I Want a Brother or Sister, That’s My Baby, Brenda Helps Grandmother, Simon Small Moves in, and The Borrowers. In 2004 Wikland decided to gift her original illustrations to Estonia. The artwork was originally exhibited in Wikland's gallery in Haapsalu, Estonia. In 2009 "Ilon's Wonderland", a gallery and theme centre for children and families based on her works and illustrations, was opened in Haapsalu.