A church has stood on the site since at least the first half of the 13th century, and the oldest parts of the present building date from the 14th century. The infobox gives the 12th century as founding, but the text says only that a wooden church may have existed then. The article names no architect.
It is a brick Gothic basilica of red brick, with terracotta used on the facade. Terracotta figurines surround the exterior. More than a thousand were originally made, each different, and about 200 survive. Some wear crowns, and the article mentions an unconfirmed idea that they depict citizens of Tartu.
Baroque chapels were added in 1746 and 1769. The Great Fire of Tartu began near the church in 1775 and spared it. The building was largely rebuilt after the Great Northern War and after the Second World War. It is an active Lutheran parish church.
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