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

, 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 tautology as the word 'Dome' comes from the German '' Dom'' 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 ...

in 1211 by Livonian Bishop Albert of Riga, 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 The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone ...

. 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 Georg Caspari (17 April 1683 – 12 April 1743) was a Baltic German academic. Caspari was born in Riga, in Swedish Livonia, as the son of David Caspari, rector of Riga Cathedral. He studied at the University of Rostock,Seentries of Georg Caspar ...

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 A referendum on the transfer of Riga Cathedral to the Lutheran Church was held in Latvia on 5 and 6 September 1931.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1122 Following a 1923 referendum the Lutheran C ...

, 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 Him ...

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 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 Lūcija Garūta (14 May 1902 – 15 February 1977) was a Latvian pianist, poet and composer. She is mostly known for composing the cantata ''Dievs, Tava zeme deg!'' in 1943. Life and career Lūcija Garūta was born in Riga (at the time Russian E ...

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 Uģis Prauliņš (born 17 June 1957) is a Latvian composer whose choral work ''Missa Rigensis'' (Riga Mass) was recorded by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, the Riga Cathedral Boys Choir, Youth Choir BALSIS and has been performed in se ...

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 freedo ...

in 1525,

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(''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), Catholicos ...

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

Herder A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazi ...

Square

References

External links