The Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God at Kuriste is built of granite and yellow brick, the latter brought from Riga with horses and oxen. The church is surrounded by a mossy granite wall. The sanctuary was constructed by experienced master builders from Saaremaa, who placed the cornerstone on the 17th of May, 1888. The architects of the church were K. Nyman and I. Dmitrijevski. 

The Church was consecrated on July 27th, 1890, in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Next to the newly completed church a cemetery was constructed and a schoolhouse was built, along with a house for the priest. Today the old Orthodox schoolhouse, where elementary education was once provided to children of farming families, houses Kuriste’s community association (Kuriste Haridusselts), which also shares space with the congregation. It is a pleasure to note that thanks to cooperation with the community association and the county government, the church is also open on Saturdays in the summertime. 

The Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God at Kuriste was the first Orthodox church on Hiiumaa, and is the only one to have functioned uninterruptedly as such until today. With the blessing of His Eminence Stefanus, Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of Estonia, and with the support of the National Program for Places of Worship, local businesses, the county government and members of the congregation, in 2011 the church acquired a new roof and floor, and interior furnishing that restored its original beauty. The bell tower’s new spire was completed in 2013. On Sundays, congregation members from various places on Hiiumaa are brought together in this beautiful sanctuary by the “church bus,” which the industrious AS Dagoplast family keeps running.