Riga Cathedral ( lv, Rīgas Doms; german: Dom zu Riga) formally The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, is the

Evangelical Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

cathedral in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

, 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 A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

. The church is commonly called the Dome Cathedral, a tautology as the word 'Dome' comes from the German ''

Dom Dom or DOM may refer to: People and fictional characters * Dom (given name), including fictional characters * Dom (surname) * Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto * Dom people, an et ...

'' meaning 'cathedral'.

History and architecture

The church was built near the River

Daugava , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...

in 1211 by Livonian Bishop

Albert of Riga Albert of Riga or Albert of Livonia or Albrecht (german: Albert von Buxthoeven, lv, Alberts fon Buksthēvdens; c.1165 – 17 January 1229) was the third Bishop of Riga in Livonia. In 1201 he allegedly founded Riga, the modern capital of Latv ...

, who came from

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

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 David Caspari (5 March 1648 – 28 February 1702) was a German Lutheran theologian. He was the father of Georg Caspari. Born in Königsberg, Duchy of Prussia, Caspari studied at the Albertina and the universities of Jena, Wittenberg, Leipzig, ...

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 The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

,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 Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation ( lv, Rīgas vēstures un kuģniecības muzejs) is housed by the Riga Dom Cathedral ensemble in the heart of the Old Riga, Latvia. It originated in 1773 as a private collection of Nikolaus von Hi ...

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 The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca, or LELB) is a Lutheran Protestant church in Latvia. Latvia's Lutheran heritage dates back to the Reformation. Both the Nazi and communist regimes pers ...

. 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 Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is s ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, 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, Apse File:Riga Cathedral Stained Glass, Riga, Latvia - Diliff.jpg,

Wolter von Plettenberg Wolter (or Walter) von Plettenberg (c. 1450 – February 28, 1535) was the Master (''Landmeister'') of the Livonian Order from 1494 to 1535 and one of the greatest leaders of the Teutonic knights. He was an important early Baltic German. ...

(''left'') reading an edict of

religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the 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

File:Rīgas Doms (92).JPG, Copy of 1910-1914 equestrian statue of

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

File:Ekumeniskais dievkalpojums Rīgas Domā (10794902675).jpg, Cathedral doors on Herder Square

References

External links