Nativity Cathedral (Riga)
The Nativity cathedral in the Latvian capital Riga ( Rīgas Kristus Piedzimšanas pareizticīgo Cathedral ) is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church . It is the largest Orthodox church in the Baltic States.
Nikolai Tschagin was responsible for the design. The church was built between 1876 and 1883 in the neo-Byzantine style under Robert August Pflug . At that time, Riga was part of Russia as the capital of the Livonia Governorate . The construction was confirmed personally by Tsar Alexander II . However, the idea for building a Russian Orthodox church in Riga came from Lieutenant General Pyotr Romanovich Bagration and Bishop Weniamin Karelin.
During the occupation in World War I , the church was converted into a Protestant church, but after Latvia's independence it became Orthodox again in 1921. In 1963 the Soviet authorities converted the Nativity Cathedral into a planetarium and renamed it the "House of Knowledge". Soon after regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the church was fundamentally renovated (until 2006). In 1992 it was rededicated as a cathedral.
The church is a central building with five partially gilded domes. Both the church and the 43-meter-high bell tower with 12 bells are covered with yellow tiles. The famous icon painting comes mainly from Vasily Vasilyevich Vereschagin .
Web links
- Kristus Piedzimšanas katedrāle, Rīga (Latvian)
Coordinates: 56 ° 57 ′ 14.1 ″ N , 24 ° 6 ′ 56 ″ E