- Address: Skārņu iela 19, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1050, Latvia;
- Website: peterbaznica.riga.lv;
- Height: 123 m Council for high-rise buildings and urban environment;
- Discovery: 1746
St. Peter's Cathedral in Riga is a great town-planning dominant with the highest spire in the city, one of the most valuable and oldest monuments of the Middle Ages in the whole Baltic region. The cathedral is a monument of monumental Gothic architecture of the 13th century of national importance. Despite numerous misfortunes, which for several centuries fell on the walls of the church, the citizens of Riga were allowed to sink into oblivion to this cult city structure. Like hundreds of years ago, today St. Peter's Cathedral in Riga is the sacral symbol of the capital, embodying its greatness and inviolability.
History of St. Peter's Cathedral
- XIII century . The first mention of this church in the annals (1209). At that time the cathedral was a room with a small hall and three naves (today the remains of this pristine structure are part of the interior decoration of St. Peter's Cathedral). The tower was originally standing separately.
- XVIII century . March 1666 was the starting point for the numerous misfortunes that were destined to happen to the great temple. Having stood for more than 200 years, the tower suddenly collapses, burying several people under its debris. Rigans literally immediately began to restore the church, but all their efforts were in vain. In 1677, an unfinished tower is destroyed by a strong fire. After that, the main building master of Riga - Rupert Bindenshu took over the business, and already in 1690 his creation was presented to the city. The height of St. Peter's Cathedral was then the largest among the wooden church buildings in all of Europe. The smooth western facade of the temple with stone portals in the Baroque style is the work of Rupert Bindenshu.
- XX century. St. Peter's Cathedral in Riga was destroyed in 1941 by artillery fire. Restoration in the postwar period was carried out gradually. In 1954, the roof was rebuilt, in 1970 - the tower. In 1973, they opened an observation deck, and in 1975 they launched a tower clock. The interior decoration of the church was completely reconstructed only in 1983.
St. Peter's Cathedral: description and information for tourists
Acquaintance with the ancient church is better to start from afar - still outside. Each facade has its own distinctive features. The most architecturally attractive - the western facade, decorated with three entrance portals of the XVII century - the holy door of St. Peter's Cathedral.
On the back of the building, at the altar part of the temple there is a monument to the Bremen musicians . This sculptural composition attracts crowds of tourists, each of which does not miss the opportunity to rub the spouts of fabulous animals for luck.
Inside the cathedral you can see the history of the building. On the walls there are hung ancient coats of arms, there are many stone and wooden epitaphs, there is a crypt, ancient tombstones and other artifacts. Among the most monumental items of the interior of the church, there is a huge seven-headed bronze chandelier (378 × 310 cm) made in the 16th century and a medieval statue of the knight Roland, which formerly adorned the Town Hall Square (after the monument was dilapidated, it was replaced by a copy, and original transferred to the church).
You can also view the breathtaking panorama of Riga from the viewing platforms of St. Peter's Cathedral. There are two of them: 51 and 71 m high.
Every month, the church exhibits an exhibition of various trends: painting, sculpture, graphics, art textiles, folk applied art, photography.
The cathedral for visitors works according to the following schedule:
From Tuesday to Saturday:
- from 10:00 to 19:00 (May - August);
- from 10:00 to 18:00 (September - April).
Sunday:
- from 12:00 to 19:00 (May to August);
- from 12:00 to 18:00 (September - April).
The ticket office closes an hour before the end of the time of reception of tourists.
Tickets can be purchased in two types: for a full review, including lift on the elevator to the viewing platforms, or only to the exhibition.
Ticket price:
- to the exhibition: adult - € 3, student - € 2, children - € 1;
- full-scale excursion: adult - € 9, student - € 6, children - € 3.
The lift goes every 10 minutes. Over time, it takes 12-14 people (depending on the total weight).
If you do not want to climb the elevators to see from the St. Peter's Cathedral a view from above, and you want to just look at the temple from the inside, you can not even buy a ticket. What can I do here completely for free:
- go into the cathedral;
- if service does not go on, sit on benches;
- admire the internal and external architecture;
- consider the ancient arms, hung on the walls, the organ, the statue of Knight Roland, as well as fragments of the buildings of the Town Hall Square, which were preserved after the Second World War.
You can safely move inside the temple for free, but only to those places where the red ribbon is stretched. However, the general picture of St. Peter's Basilica is a very small one, compared to what truly fascinates this fascinating monument of history and architecture. Therefore, if you are here for the first time, do not regret € 9, to feel all the mystery and wealth of the heritage of this amazing place.
St. Peter's Cathedral: interesting facts
- during the war with the Livonian Order (XIII century) on the roof of the church were installed stone tools that participated in the defense of the city;
- In the 14th century, at the cathedral, there was a guard, who rang the bell in case of fire, enemy attack or other disaster;
- with the beginning of World War II, the cockerel from St. Peter's Cathedral in Riga was wanted to be removed so as not to attract the attention of enemy pilots with the gilding glitter, but the city's residents were against it, and the authorities decided - twice a day the males changed: in the afternoon they put gold, and at night - black ;
- The first concert in the cathedral was held on February 1, 1991 - the national Latvian orchestra performed the "Requiem" of WA Mozart;
- in 1997 St. Peter's Cathedral in Riga was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
How to get there?
St. Peter's Church is located on Skarnu street 19. In this part of the city you can get on tram number 3 (stop Aspaziyas boulvaris), and then walk a little along the street Audey to the intersection with Skarnu street.
Another option is to take tram No. 2, 4, 5 or 10 to Grechinieku Street and go to the intersection with Skarnu Street along the street of Marstalu.