- Address: Central District, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia;
- Discovery: 1234;
- Phone: +371 67 224 028.
Against the background of Old Riga, the Lutheran Church of St. John is distinguished by an unusual eclectic style. In its architecture, the monumental elements of the late Gothic, baroque ornate forms are whimsically combined, the Northern Renaissance and elegant Mannerism are felt. But the reason for such an amazing mixture of styles and epochs was not the implementation of a unique architectural project, but a hard history of the temple, full of losses, destruction and numerous attempts to restore this ancient shrine.
The cemetery of the Livonian monks
In 1234 the Bishop of Riga built himself a new residence near the Dome Cathedral . He decided to hand over the former farmstead to the Dominican monks. So influential at that time, the Catholic Order received land for the construction of its temple. The new church, named after John the Baptist, was rather modest - a small chapel, a one-nave building with a narrow room, inside which were six buttresses and several side altars.
The townspeople did not much like the gloomy silent monks in their long black cassocks, like the entire Livonian Order, to which they obeyed. Therefore, in the city often there were skirmishes. In 1297, the revolutionary-minded residents of Riga broke into the church of St. John, demolished the roof and installed a platform for catapults with which the Order Castle was attacked, is located nearby. But the Dominicans did not abandon their temple, rebuilt it, and after a while expanded, buying out the neighboring plot of land. Then the church acquires its Gothic features in the form of narrow window openings against the backdrop of massive brick walls.
However, the opposition of townspeople and monks does not stop. At the end of the 15th century, both the temple and the castle were subjected to another attack by those who were dissatisfied with excessive extortions of Riga residents. And this time the victory for the inhabitants of Riga. A few years later the townspeople finally drove them from Riga. It even went without bloodshed. The clergy went to the Easter procession around the fortress walls of the city, and the citizens of Riga simply did not let them in when they returned.
Return of the church status
In 1582, the Polish king decided to strengthen the position of the Catholic Church. To do this, he exchanged the church of St. John, passing it to the Lutheran community, the church of Jekaba, which he attached to the Catholic churches.
Finally, prayers were heard again in the walls of the exhausted church. The parishioners became more and more, and the question of the expansion of the temple became. During the construction of the new altar part and lateral extension, fashionable elements of Mannerism were used at that time.
Several times already the Lutheran Church of St. John was destroyed, but not from the fury and contempt of people, but by coincidence. In 1677, the temple suffered from a large urban fire, and in 1941 a military projectile entered the church. Each time, the reconstruction was carried out, adding various architectural elements peculiar to this or that era. As a result, the church of St. John in Riga has found such a unique and unique in its way.
What to see?
In addition to the stunning exterior architecture and beautiful interior decoration of the temple, tourists will be interested to see unusual elements of the structure. They are associated with interesting stories and legends, which, by the way, combines the number "2". It:
- two statues (Solomey and John the Baptist);
- two stone heads on the facade of the church;
- a memorial cross dedicated to two monks.
The statue of John the Baptist became a symbol of the trustfulness, openness and simplicity of ordinary Lutherans, while the statue of Solomey, holding a dish with John's head, represents the perfidy and treachery of the noble Catholic supremacy. Ironically, the evil was stronger than the good, the statue of John could not stand the onslaught of time, and in 1926 was replaced by a copy. Solomea already the fourth century stands in its place, having survived all the natural disasters, revolutions and wars.
On the south-western facade of the church of St. John you can see stone masks with open mouths. There are two versions of the purpose of these heads. According to the first hypothesis, they informed the townspeople about the beginning of the sermon through them. There are also those who believe that these stone mouths were used to train preachers. They had to read the prayers through them so loudly that they could be heard even in the street Grecinieku.
The legend of the two monks is dedicated to human vanity. Friends of the clergy wanted to leave a trace in history after themselves and felt that if they spend the rest of their lives in the wall of the temple, they will be counted as saints. They lived in confinement for a long time, the inhabitants of the city wore food and water for them. But after the death of the monks, no one took their deed for a great feat, and they were not awarded the saints' face, for it was not holy faith that moved the "martyrs", but empty arrogance.
Also in St. John's Lutheran Church you can see:
- painted altar of the XVIII century;
- chair of 1846;
- unusual stained-glass windows made by E.Tode;
- Y. Rosenthal's painting "The Crucifixion";
- wing cage, located in contrast to other churches not on the tower, but above the central entrance.
And you can also get to the concert of live organ music, which are held in the church quite often. The organ appeared here in 1854, but in the late 1990s it was replaced by a new instrument donated to the church of St. John by the Lutheran community of Udevalle (Sweden).
The entrance to the temple is free, you can leave voluntary donations.
Monday is a day off.
From Tuesday to Saturday, the church is open from 10:00 to 17:00, on Sunday from 10:00 to 12:00.
How to get there?
St. John's Church is located in the area of Old Riga , on Jana street 7. The nearest public transport stops:
- tram number 5, 7, 8 (Nacionālā opera);
- trolleybus No. 8,9 (Rātslaukums).
Further you can walk only on foot, as the whole territory of the Old City is a pedestrian zone.