St. James's Cathedral - Riga, Latvia - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

"St. James's Cathedral, or the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, (German: Jakobskirche, Latvian: Sveta Jekaba katedrale) is the Roman Catholic cathedral of Riga in Latvia. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint James the Greater. The building is part of the Old Riga UNESCO World Heritage Site and lies directly opposite the House of the Livonian Noble Corporation, the meeting place of Latvia's parliament the Saeima.

The church is sometimes wrongly called St. Jacob's. The confusion arises because Latvian, like many other languages, uses the same word for both James and Jacob.

History

The church building was dedicated in 1225. It was not originally a cathedral since the Rigas Doms served that function. At the beginning of the 15th century the Holy Cross Chapel was built at the south end of the early Gothic church, and part of the church was transformed into a basilica.

In 1522 during the Protestant Reformation the building became the second German language Lutheran church in Riga. In 1523 it became the first Latvian language Lutheran church there.

In 1582 it was given to the Jesuits as part of the Counter-Reformation when Stephen Báthory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth gained control of Riga. In 1621 it was given back to the Lutherans after Gustav II Adolf of Sweden occupied Riga. At various times it served as a Swedish language, German language, or Estonian language Lutheran church. In 1812 it was used as a food storehouse by Napoleon's troops.

In 1901 the oldest Baroque altar in Riga from 1680 was replaced by a new one. Following a referendum in 1923, the building was given back to the Catholics for use as their cathedral since the Rigas Doms was now an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral."

--Wikipedia (visit link)

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1225 Age of Church building determined by?: Cornerstone or plaque If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Catholic If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: From: 7:00 AM To: 6:00 PM If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 11:00 AM Street address of Church: Jēkaba iela 9 Riga, Latvia LV-1050 Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]

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