The oldest archaeological findings from the area date back to the 6th millennium B.C. At the end of the 12th century A.D., the Lehola hill fort of ancient Estonians was built at a location approximately two kilometres north-east of the present town border. The hill fort was the centre of the northernmost district in the historical Estonian county of Sakala and also one of the centres of Estonians' fight against the conquest of GermanSword Brethren in the 13th century, including in the Battle of Lehola. Not much except the hill remains of it but the place is still visited as a tourist attraction. 2/3 of the hill-fort have been excavated archaeologically. The locality of Suure-Jaani was initially called Wallola, first recorded in 1423. The town began to develop around the Church of Great Saint John the Evangelist, built before the year 1300. There is a Lutheran cemetery near the church. The church was severely damaged during the Livonian War and the Great Northern War, particularly the latter. The present name, "Suure-Jaani", which came into widespread use for the locality only in the 1880s, when it developed into a village in its own right, is an Estonian derivative from the German name of the church. Until then, the name "Suure-Jaani" was used only for the church as well as its immediate surroundings, while other areas of the present town were separate villages: Valula, Nuutre and Päraküla. During centuries, Suure-Jaani was one of the centres of Suure-Jaani parish and, since the end of the 19th century, also the cultural and commercial centre of the parish region. In 1906–1908, Sts. Peter and PaulOrthodox Church was built at the village of Valula. The Orthodox congregation had already been established in the nearby village of Olustvere in 1847. In 1911, an Orthodox cemetery was established at Valula, replacing the former Orthodox cemetery, which was located in the village of Reegoldi near Olustvere. Since 1989 Sts. Peter and Paul Church has not been used for services and the church is now in need of repair. In 1924, Suure-Jaani was granted the rights of a town and in 1938, it was granted city rights. In 1950–1959, Suure-Jaani was the capital of Suure-Jaani District. The 1950s also marked the all-time peak number in the population of the town. During the administrative reform in 1960, Suure-Jaani District was dissolved and became part of the larger Viljandi District. In 2005, a new Suure-Jaani rural municipality was formed by the town of Suure-Jaani, the former separate Suure-Jaani rural municipality and Olustvere and Vastemõisa rural municipalities. Therefore, the town is not a separate municipality any more but retains its city rights. On 21 October 2017, Suure-Jaani rural municipality united with the city ofVõhma and the Kõo and Kõpu rural municipalities to form the new Põhja-Sakala rural municipality.
Geography
Suure-Jaani is situated in Sakala Upland, offering picturesque views with its park, two artificial lakes and church in the centre of the town.
Transport
Due to its small size, Suure-Jaani has no urban transport. The town has a bus stop for intercity lines. The nearest railway station is at Olustvere. The nearest towns are Võhma, Viljandi, Põltsamaa and Vändra. The distance of Suure-Jaani from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is 143 km.
Culture
During the Estonian national awakening period in the 19th century, Suure-Jaani parish was one of the regional centres of educational, cultural and social life. Presently, Suure-Jaani hosts the Suure-Jaani Music Days, an annual summer festival of classical music started in 1998, dedicated to the Kapp family of composers. Suure-Jaani is also the place of establishment of the InternationalArtur Kapp Society, a non-profit foundation for promoting the works and life of composer Artur Kapp and other composers related to Suure-Jaani, such as Mart Saar.
