Description of the attraction
Riga Church of Our Lady of Sorrows is the first stone sacred building in Riga, built after the beginning of the reformation in Livonia. In its place was a small chapel, consecrated in 1865. In 1875, the Austrian emperor Joseph II passed through Riga, who, having visited this small temple, was extremely surprised and outraged by the poor and unsightly appearance of the chapel. He donated an impressive amount of money to build a more representative temple.
The first stone in the foundation of the future church was consecrated in 1784, and a year later the newly built church in honor of the Sorrowful Mother of God was consecrated, the service was conducted by Bishop Janis Benislavskis. The future emperor of Russia Paul I, the Polish king Stanislav Poniatowski and other Polish magnates donated for the construction of the church. In addition, local Catholics provided financial assistance to the best of their ability. According to the instructions of Empress Catherine II, all buildings on the castle square, including the church, were to be built in the style of classicism.
The constructed temple was a three-aisled building. There were three entrances to the church, the main one was located on the side. The church itself was made in the style of classicism, but some details belonged to the baroque.
In May 1854, the Russian emperor Nicholas I came to Riga, who, having examined the temple, declared that the building was not spacious enough, namely, too narrow. The emperor's remarks accelerated the repair work. In 1858, a radical restoration of the building began, which lasted 2 years. The restructuring was supervised by the young and talented architect Johann Daniel Felsko.
The last reconstruction of the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, as a result of which the temple acquired its modern appearance, took place in 1895. The project was designed by the German master Wilhelm Boxlaf. He gave the building a neo-Renaissance look and expanded it by adding a room for the baptismal ceremony.
As a result, the church acquired an elegant eclectic finish, which has remained practically unchanged to this day. The height of the church, including the spire, is 35 meters. The main entrance is from the side of the Castle Square. The church is 48 meters long and 17 meters wide. The church, as well as at the beginning, has a three-aisled form, by type it belongs to the hall-type church buildings. The top of the three-storey tower, which serves as a dominant, is crowned with a pyramidal spire.
Regarding the interior, it is worth noting that after repeated rebuildings, each of which brought something of its own, that a bizarre mixture of all architectural styles took place in it. Here you can see the elements of classicism, in this style the church was originally made. The first restructuring brought in the elements of romance and Gothic, and the elements of the neo-Renaissance appeared later than all. The Church safely endured the periods of wars and the Soviet era, all this time it was active.
