Antonijs Springovičs (1 November 1876 – 1 October 1958) was a Latvian

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prelate who became the first Archbishop of Riga in 1923.

Early years

Springovičs was born on 31 October 1876 in Rēzekne. In 1897, he joined the seminary in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. He received a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

. He was ordained priest by Bolesław Hieronim Kłopotowski, the Archbishop of Mohilev on 24 June 1901.

Bishop of Riga

On 29 September 1918, the Diocese of Riga was restored and Eduard O'Rourke was appointed as the first bishop. O'Rourke's position in Riga was problematic as German forces occupied the city in early 1919. By the end of World War I, the ecclesiastical organisation was largely destroyed, and only a few priests were active. O'Rourke did not speak Latvian but tried to encourage Latvian priests. He resigned after a new government in Latvia was appointed and there was a popular movement calling for an ethnic Latvian bishop. Thus on 14 April 1920

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

appointed Springovičs as O'Rourke's successor with the bull ''Hodies nos''. He was consecrated bishop on 22 August 1920 by Juozapas Skvireckas.

Metropolitan Archbishop

On 25 November 1923, Springovičs was appointed as the first archbishop of Riga after the diocese was elevated on 25 October 1923. In November 1926, he was awarded the Latvian Order of the Three Stars. On 8 May 1937, Springovičs became metropolitan archbishop after the

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

Diocese of Liepāja was created. In 1939 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Latvia.

Soviet occupation

Springovičs faced numerous challenges during the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

occupation. The Faculty of Theology in the University of Latvia was closed and its library books were confiscated. Springovičs remained in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

under the pretext of poor health after he was ordered to leave. On 7 March 1946, the Major Seminary of Riga was reopened after it was closed by the Soviets. Springovičs died on October 1, 1958, aged 81, in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

. His funeral took place on October 6 in St. James's Cathedral, Riga. The requiem mass was celebrated by Bishop Pēteris Strods. Springovičs was buried in St Michael's cemetery in

Ecclesiastical appointments

* 1901 - 1905: School chaplain * 1905 - 1917: Dean of Līksna * 1917 - 1918: General Vicar of Mohilev * 1918 - 1920: General Vicar of Riga * 1920 - 1923: Bishop of Riga * 1923 - 1937: Archbishop of Riga * 1937 - 1958: Metropolitan Archbishop of Riga

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Springovics, Antonijs 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Latvia 1876 births 1958 deaths Archbishops of Riga