St. Saviour's Church () is a congregation of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
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 ...
,
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 ...
. Its
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
is located at Anglikāņu iela 2. This is to the north of the old town centre (
Vecrīga
Vecrīga ("Old Riga") is the historical center and a neighbourhood (as Vecpilsēta) of Riga, Latvia, located in the Central District on the east side of Daugava River. Vecrīga is famous for its old churches and cathedrals, such as Riga Cathed ...
), close to
Riga Castle
Riga Castle () is a castle on the banks of River Daugava in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The castle was founded in 1330. Its structure was thoroughly rebuilt between 1497 and 1515. Upon the castle's seizure by the Swedes, they constructed spaciou ...
and the banks of the
Daugava River
The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...
.
The
neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...
church was designed by
Johann Felsko. The foundation stone was laid in 1857 and the church was consecrated on 26 July 1859 by Bishop
Walter Trower
Walter John Trower FRSE (5 April 1804 – 24 October 1877) was an Anglican bishop.
Early life
He was born on 5 April 1804 in Hanover Square in London the son of John Trower and his first wife Jane James, daughter of Sir Walter James 1st Baronet ...
. Church use was halted during the Soviet occupation, and in 1973 it became the home of the
Riga Polytechnic Institute
Riga Technical University (RTU) () is the oldest Institute of technology, technical university in the Baltic states, Baltic countries established on October 14, 1862. It is located in Riga, Latvia and was previously known as Riga Polytechnical ...
student club.
After Latvia regained its independence in 1991, an English-speaking congregation was again formed under the guidance of
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
Pastor Arden Haug. In 1995 the Latvian-born Reverend Dr Juris Calitis became the pastor of a growing congregation.
Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga was installed as
priest-in-charge
A priest in charge or priest-in-charge (previously also curate-in-charge) in the Church of England is a priest in charge of a parish who is not its incumbent; they will normally work on a short-term contract and have less freedom to act within the ...
in October 2014, succeeding Cālītis. Elīza Zikmane became chaplain in 2020.
The church operates a soup kitchen for homeless people in the
undercroft
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and Vault (architecture), vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground (street-level) area whi ...
, and supports a club for the elderly (Senioru klubs).
Historical records are held in
London Metropolitan Archives
The London Archives (previously known as the Greater London Record Office 1965–1997, and London Metropolitan Archives 1997–2024) is the principal local government archive repository for the Greater London area, including the City of London ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Saviour's Church, Riga
Churches in Riga
Churches completed in 1859
Diocese in Europe
1859 establishments in the Russian Empire
Religious organizations established in 1859
19th-century churches in Latvia
19th-century Anglican church buildings
Anglican church buildings in Europe
Anglicanism in Latvia