Description of the attraction
The old church of st. Gertrude is a temple belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran denomination, in which parishioners gather and concerts are held today. The church is located at the intersection of two streets: Gertrudes (Gertrudinskaya) and Baznicas (Church). This building was built in the eclectic and neo-gothic styles, earlier it marked the border of the city: behind the building of the church in the old days there were only huts, meadows and forests. In the old days, churches outside the city's defenses were named after the patroness of travelers, Saint Gertrude (626-659).
The first record of the church appeared in 1413. Then it was located on the site of the current cinema "Riga". Since the church stood outside the city, it was often destroyed when it got in the way of enemies. This temple was destroyed at least 6 times. For example, the Swede Mansfeld rebuilt the temple into a fort in 1605, and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich took the bells and organ from the temple. However, despite the constant destruction, the temple was always rebuilt and brought to its original state.
In 1864, the famous Riga architect I. D. Felsko began to supervise the construction of the new Church of St. Gertrude, the temple, which was 60 meters high, was illuminated in 1866. The built church is an example of the eclectic style in architecture. Master Felsko carried out his projects in this universal style. In terms of structure, the building of the temple has a three-nave structure with a small transverse nave, which is decorated with original cross vaults.
The exterior is finished with red brick. Decorative cornices and portals were cast in concrete. The height of the spire, covered with a copper layer, reaches 63 meters. The organ in the church was installed in 1906 and is considered one of the best in the city. The ground floor, where the service and utility rooms are located, is located under the main church hall.
At the beginning of the 20th century, near the Old Church of St. Gertrude, the Lutheran community built another church named after St. Gertrude. Since that time, the first temple has been called the old church, and the second - the new one. The second church of St. Gertrude is one of the last buildings in Riga, built in an eclectic style. The old church of St. Gertrude is an example of eclectic architecture, complemented by neo-Gothic forms.
