Trinity Cathedral (Liepaja)

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Exterior view

The Trinity Cathedral ( Latvian Liepājas Svētās Trīsvienības katedrāle ) is an Evangelical Lutheran episcopal church in the Latvian city ​​of Liepāja (German: Libau).

Emergence

There were two Lutheran congregations in Libau. The St. Anna congregation comprised the Latvian-speaking members, the Trinity / Trinity congregation the German-speaking. Both parishes celebrated their services in St. Anne's Church.

In 1742 the city council decided to build a church for the German community and engaged the Königsberg master builder Johann Christoph Dorn, who brought two designs to Libau. The Libauer decided - regardless of the high costs - for the more complex of the two plans. Because the new church was supposed to surpass the Trinity Church in Mitau (today Jelgava), the other large city in Courland. Mitau was the royal seat of the Duchy of Courland and Semgallia and was shaped by the conservative nobility; Libau, on the other hand, was a flourishing trading city. Your church, to be built in the “modern” (instead of the traditional) style, should not least express the self-confidence of the Libau bourgeoisie

“Liepaja ... wanted to surpass the capital of the duchy by building its own, even prouder church for the German community - especially because in the Holy Trinity Church in Jelgava as well as in the city, the landlords determined everything and the citizens kept silent had to obey. In Liepaja it was different, here the rich house owners knew how to fight for power and, once they had won it, to keep it in their hands. Not out of excessive fear of God, but because they wanted to present themselves, to testify to the importance of the city in feudal short-term, Liepaja created this civic cathedral, a pompous parade building, so strangely foreign and inappropriate against the background of wooden warehouses and the level-headed life of the citizens. "

The congregation bought a piece of land on Große Straße for the new church.

Building history

The foundation stone was laid on March 8, 1742. The building was made of field stones and bricks and clad with sandstone . Pilasters , cornices , window frames and the portals were carved from Gotland sandstone. The portals are "the most glamorous that can be found in Latvia in stone carvings from the period of historical styles". In 1746 the church was roofed over, and in 1747 the vaulting began . The church was consecrated on December 5, 1758.

The first pastor of the Trinity Church was (until 1771) Karl Ludwig Tetsch, who became known for his three-volume Curland Church History (1767–1769).

During the renovation and partial redesign of the church in 1865/1866, the individual patron saints' boxes were dismantled and replaced by a continuous gallery. The tower was raised to its current height of 55 meters. In 1906 the clock mechanism was installed .

Furnishing

overview

The interior is mainly designed in the Rococo style. In addition, there are elements of early classicism , including on the organ gallery . The numerous, well-preserved gold decorations are remarkable. The pews are lavishly decorated with wood carving.

The main altar is 13 meters high, making it the highest in Latvia. The middle field with the crucifix is ​​surrounded on the left and right by the monumental sculptures of the four evangelists . The altarpiece is an "encyclopedia of Rococo ornamentation ".

Other major Rococo works in Latvia are the pulpit , the confessional and the organ gallery. Opposite the confessional is the magnificent box of the Dukes of Courland and Zemgale, probably built after 1763, with the Courland coat of arms and the coat of arms of the Biron von Curland family .

organ

organ

The cathedral organ is the largest organ in the world with a mechanical action. It was built around 1750 by Johann Heinrich Joachim, partially rebuilt or rebuilt by Heinrich Andreas Contius from 1774–1779 , expanded in 1877 by Carl Alexander Herrmann and in 1885 by Barnim Grüneberg . It was the largest organ in the world from 1885 to 1912. The organ has 131 registers on four manuals and a pedal with 7000 pipes . Classical performances and concerts are still held in the church today. A restoration is necessary (as of 2015).

literature

  • Imants Lancmanis: Libau. A Baltic port city between baroque and classicism . Böhlau, Cologne 2007, ISBN 978-3-412-02806-0 , pp. 58-91.
  • Terēze Fuglica, Rita Minkeviča: The Holy Trinity Church in Libau . In: Ilze Krokša, Aina Balaško (ed.): Vācu kultūra Latvijā. Ieskats vācu-latviešu novadu kultūras un vācu biedrību vēsturē = German culture in Latvia. Insight into the history of the German-Latvian regional cultures and the German club history . Latvijas Vācu Savienība, Riga 2009, ISBN 978-9984-39-832-7 , pp. 49-57.

Web links

Commons : Trinity Cathedral (Liepaja)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Hans Feldmann, Heinz von zur Mühlen (ed.): Baltic historical local dictionary, part 2: Latvia (southern Livland and Courland). Böhlau, Cologne 1990, p. 346.
  2. ↑ a b Elvīra Spinga: Karl Ludwig Tetsch - the first pastor of the St. Trinity Church . In: Ilze Krokša, Aina Balaško (ed.): Vācu kultūra Latvijā. Ieskats vācu-latviešu novadu kultūras un vācu biedrību vēsturē = German culture in Latvia. Insight into the history of the German-Latvian regional cultures and the German club history . Latvijas Vācu Savienība, Riga 2009, p. 47.
  3. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , pp. 65-67.
  4. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , pp. 59 and 68, quoted in History of the Church and the Organ trisvienibasfonds (German)
  5. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Libau. A Baltic port city between baroque and classicism . Böhlau, Cologne 2007, p. 73.
  6. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , p. 60.
  7. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , p. 62.
  8. ^ Imants Lancmanis: 'Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , p. 76.
  9. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , p. 89.
  10. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , p. 87.
  11. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , p. 77.
  12. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , p. 79.
  13. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , pp. 81-83.
  14. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , pp. 83-84.
  15. ↑ History of the Teisvienibasfonds.lv organ (German)
  16. ^ Imants Lancmanis: Imants Lancmanis: Libau. ... , p. 85.
  17. ↑ Organ tour Youtube

Coordinates: 56 ° 30 '35.4 "  N , 21 ° 0' 48.1"  E