Skaistkalne (formerly ''Šēnberga'', german: Schönberg, yi, שימבורג, Shimberg) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

Skaistkalne Parish Skaistkalne Parish ( lv, Skaistkalnes pagasts) is an administrative unit of Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Prior to the 2009 administrative reforms it was part of Bauska District. History The present territory of Skai ...

Bauska Municipality Bauska Municipality ( lv, Bauskas novads) is a municipality in Zemgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Brunava parish, Ceraukste parish, Code parish, Dāviņi parish, Gailīši parish, Īslīce parish, Mežotne parish ...

in the

Semigallia Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, ( lv, Zemgale; german: Semgallen; lt, Žiemgala; pl, Semigalia; liv, Zemgāl) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located in the south of the Daugava river and the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. ...

region of

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

. It is the centre of

History

In historical sources Skaistkalne was first mentioned in 1489. In that year Master of the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the ...

Johann Freytag von Loringhoven granted lands between rivers Mēmele and

Iecava , native_name = , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = Iecavas luterāņu baznīca.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = Lutheran church in Iecav ...

to ''Herman Schönberg''. Thus the name of Skaistkalne also came from the first owner. Since 1660, the oldest wooden church was serviced by the

Jesuit Order , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

, which established a permanent mission in 1666 and a monastery in 1677. In 1692 the new Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Skaistkalne and a Monastery were built here in the

Italian Baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

style. Between 1774 and 1929, Catholic priests served in the Skaistkalne old Church and Church of Our Lady. Skaistkalne became the main center of Catholicism in

Zemgale Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, ( lv, Zemgale; german: Semgallen; lt, Žiemgala; pl, Semigalia; liv, Zemgāl) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located in the south of the Daugava river and the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. ...

. In the 19th century Skaistkalne became an important market center. There were 10 large

trade fairs A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...

and weekly markets every year. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were about 500 inhabitants in Skaistkalne (''Schenberg''), mainly

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

engaged in trade and crafts. In 1920 there were 39 houses and 520 inhabitants in the village. In 1925, the village was granted ''a densely populated area'' (village) status and the Germannic name ''Šēnberga'' changed to Latvian Skaistkalne ( de , Schönberg - "beautiful mountain"). On November 30, 1929, the church was taken over by the Order of Capuchin, who led the Skaistkalne church until it abolition by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

during the occupation of 1949. From 1949 to 2001, the Roman Catholic Church of Skaistkalne was served by diocesan Catholic priests. On August 31, 2001, the Church and Church of Our Lady were both taken over by the

Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit ( lat, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Pauli Primi Eremitæ; abbreviated OSPPE), commonly called the Pauline Fathers, is a monastic order of the Roman Catholic Church founded in Hungary during the 13th century. Thi ...

. During the Soviet era Skaistkalne was the center of collective farm "Skaistkalne" and in 1989 there were 854 inhabitants in the village.

Notable residents

* Elisa von der Recke (1754–1833), a

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

writer and poet, was born here.

References

Castles of the Teutonic Knights Towns and villages in Latvia 1489 establishments in Europe Bauska Municipality Semigallia {{Zemgale-geo-stub