Riga Cathedral

Riga Cathedral (; ) formally The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, is the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral in Riga, Latvia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Riga.

The cathedral is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Latvia, and is featured in or the subject of paintings, photographs and television travelogues. Like all of the oldest churches of the city, it is known for its weathercock.

The church is commonly called the Dome Cathedral, a pleonasm as the word 'Dome' comes from the German '' Dom'' meaning 'cathedral'.

History and architecture

The church was built near the River Daugava in 1211 by Livonian Bishop Albert of Riga, who came from Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany. It is considered the largest medieval church in the Baltic states. It has undergone many modifications in the course of its history.

David Caspari was rector of the cathedral school in the late 17th century. His son Georg Caspari also served at the cathedral.

Following a 1923 referendum the Lutheran Church had been forced to share the cathedral with the Roman Catholic Church,Hiden, J (2004) ''Defender of minorities: Paul Schiemann, 1876-1944'', p92 but this was reversed in the 1931 Latvian Riga Cathedral referendum, returning it to the Lutheran Church.

Religious services were prohibited during the Soviet occupation from 1939 to 1989, and the cathedral was used as a concert hall. The Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation was located in the southern wing of the cathedral. The cathedral was reopened for religious services in 1991, and is used by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia.

In 2011 the copper roofing above the nave was replaced. In 2015 the tower exterior was also re-plated and its wooden support structure renewed.

Pipe organ

The organ of the Riga Cathedral was built by E.F. Walcker & Sons of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in 1882–83, and was inaugurated on 31 January 1884. It has four manuals and one pedalboard. It plays 116 voices, 124 stops, 144 ranks, and 6718 pipes. It includes 18 combinations and General Crescendo. A tape of Latvian composer Lūcija Garūta playing the organ for a cantata during World War II captured the sound of battle nearby.

Boys choir

The Riga Dom Cathedral Boys Choir has performed internationally, recording the ''Riga Mass'' by Uģis Prauliņš and other works.Riga Dom Cathedral Boys Choir
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Gallery

File:Riga Cathedral Nave, Riga, Latvia - Diliff.jpg, Cathedral nave
File:Riga Cathedral Pulpit, Riga, Latvia - Diliff.jpg, Pulpit
File:Ekumeniskais dievkalpojums (6064196959).jpg, Archbishop of Riga Jānis Vanags participating in an ecumenical service
File:Riga Cathedral Stained Glass, Riga, Latvia - Diliff.jpg, Wolter von Plettenberg (''left'') reading an edict of religious freedom in 1525, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (''right'') in 1621
File:Organ of Riga Dome Cathedral (20220628).jpg, Organ
File:Riga Dom 02.JPG, North wall
File:Plaza de la Catedral, Riga, Letonia, 2012-08-07, DD 01.JPG, Cathedral Square (''Doma laukums'') off the north wall
File:Latvia Riga Cathedral weather cock.jpg, Weathercock
File:Riga Dom 10.JPG, South wall and the statue of Bishop Albert
File:Riga Dom Kreuzgang 1.JPG, Cloister. Pinnacled roof is the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation
File:Rīgas Doms (92).JPG, Copy of 1910-1914 equestrian statue of Peter I
File:Ekumeniskais dievkalpojums Rīgas Domā (10794902675).jpg, Cathedral doors on Herder Square
File:Albert of Riga.JPG, Albert of Riga, copy of an original statue by Karl Hans Bernewitz on the façade of the cathedral

See also

* List of cathedrals in Latvia

References

External links

*

Photographs of the Riga Cathedral

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Buildings and structures completed in 1211
Churches completed in the 1210s
Churches in Riga
Cathedrals in Latvia
Brick Gothic
Gothic architecture in Latvia
Lutheran churches in Latvia
Pre-Reformation Roman Catholic cathedrals
13th-century churches in Latvia