Church of St. Peter (Riga, Latvia): description, address, time of work

Faith in the supreme patrons existed throughout the meaningful life of people. Mankind has long worshiped the gods in which they believed, built churches and churches, read prayers and left gifts. To this day, on our planet, thousands of buildings have survived, where people from different religions gathered. These buildings are not only bearers of spiritual power, but also one of the greatest architectural works. Becoming the highest level of art, people used all their abilities to create the greatest of works worthy of God. One of these is the St. Peter's Church. Riga hospitably received the most skilled and talented masters of its time for its construction.

History of appearance

The exact date of construction of the church is unknown, but in 1209 the mention of it is traced in the chronicles for the first time. The location of the church has never changed, it continues to stand where it was almost a millennium ago: the city of Riga, Latvia. Then this building consisted of a small hall and three naves of equal height. It is not known for certain, but it is believed that a tower was built at the church, which was located separately. Build the church helped the citizens - merchants, artisans and others, investing their own money in the construction. It was thought that the temple of God would be the main one in the whole city, that is why a lot of efforts were invested in its creation, at the end the building was supposed to look rich and luxurious, to maintain prestige. The church was visited by the higher classes of society - the Riga burghers. There also operated a school, one of the oldest in the city. The church received the title of Evangelical Lutheran and carries it to this day.

First Changes

A century and a half later, the church for the first time underwent some changes - the clock appeared on the tower, and a guard began to work nearby, which warned the people about fires and other dangers. With the onset of the 15th century, the church decided to rebuild, for this case the master Johann Rummeshottel was chosen. He erected a new altar room, but further work continued almost to the end of the century, all Riga, Latvia and its inhabitants suffered from constant wars and epidemics, the restructuring dragged on and finally ended with the construction of the spire. Now the building had two naves 15 meters high and one main 30 meters. An octagonal 133-meter spire towered over the city, and not a single building in Riga could match the grandeur of the church.

Continuation of rearrangements

On March 11, 1666, the spire, stubbornly standing under winds and bad weather for 175 years, could not stand it and collapsed to nearby houses. A year later the tower was rebuilt, but 10 years later a fire broke out, and the spire was again destroyed along with some part of the church. To rebuild everything, masters from Latvia were invited. Led by the chief master of the city, Rupert Bindenshu, the spire was rebuilt in the Baroque style, which fully corresponded to the general Gothic style of the church. Now the total height of the tower together with the spire reached about 120 meters, its construction ended in 1697.

Twenty-four years later, in the spire of St. Peter's Church, lightning strikes, it again collapses, but does not hurt. Over the restoration of the master I. Wilbern worked 3 years, the spire was crowned by a cock, to which the master himself after the construction climbed and drank a glass of wine.

Rooster of the Church of St. Peter

In all, there were 6 cocks during the existence of the church. The first was put on a spire in 1491, in 1538 it was restored together with the church, when it was plated with copper sheets, and in the same year the cock broke. In place of him came the second in 1539, but lasted only until the fall. If the first two cockerels were torn from the spire because of strong winds, then the third was on the engraving of Mollin in 1612, he served 73 years. All the cocks were different, but did not stay long. For the fourth time, when this figure was installed in 1651, it was gilded. Unfortunately, and this cock again broke in 1569, the fifth was also gilded, but 6 years after installation and it fell down. The sixth cockerel was destroyed in a fire caused in 1941 by an artillery shell. And finally, the seventh is on the spire and these days, it has served for 46 years now, weighs 158 kilograms, a height of 1.5 and a width of 2 meters.

Restoration after World War II

The Second World War left only ruins in the place that stood the church of St. Peter. Riga was completely under fire. In 1954, restored everything except the tower, and in 1966 it was decided to restore the tower and the spire, adding a viewing platform. This was the result of long disputes between the Council of Ministers of the Latvian SSR. Architects P. Saulitis and G. Zirnis worked under the supervision of E. Darbvaris. The main work was carried out in Riga, the construction of the tower was being prepared in Minsk, the assembly was carried out by workers from Leningrad. As a result, the spire became 124 meters high and 25 centimeters high. Observation platforms were built at an altitude of 57 and 72 meters. In 1973, elevators were put into operation for lifting to platforms with a carrying capacity of 1000 kg. The mechanisms reached the top in 63 seconds.

Completion of work was on June 29, 1973, on this day the church of St. Peter earned. Riga has regained its main attraction.

About Saint Peter

The Apostle Peter was one of the twelve followers of Jesus Christ, the son of a fisherman and the brother of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. At birth he received the name Simon. The name Peter, which means "stone", given to him by Christ, he had due to his determination and strong spirit.

The apostle was a favorite disciple of Jesus Christ, he followed him anywhere. When Jesus asked his apostles what they thought of him, Peter answered that he was Christ, the son of God. And then Jesus answered him: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will create my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what thou shalt permit in Earth, it will be permitted in heaven. " (Mt. 16: 18-19)

There are legends that this story explains why St. Peter's Church was erected. Riga, however, according to historical data, is not a place that the Apostle Peter visited, but still he is the patron of this city.

Peter long repented after his renunciation of Christ, but after the Holy Spirit came down to earth, he dedicated his life to preaching. The apostle was repeatedly persecuted for his faith and activity, but he never went astray. His sermons he read in different parts of the world: on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, in Asia Minor, Antioch, Egypt, Greece, Spain, Carthage and Britain.

Saint Peter was crucified, turned upside down, so he did not want to die a death, like the death of his mentor, in Rome in 67 year after the birth of Christ.

Church of St. Peter in our days

And to this day, the streams of believers are eager to visit the church of St. Peter (Riga). The viewing platform of the temple has repeatedly become a place of various incidents. So, for example, in the 90s, a person wishing to count his life climbed up to the tower, which he managed to do. After this incident, the church was covered with a grid to avoid repetition of this. At the end of the first millennium, on the day of Latvia's anniversary, the National Bolsheviks, who took hostage tourists who were at that time on the tower, made their way to the observation deck. Then it was necessary to work spetsnaz, to surround the church and to entice violators outside.

Main Attractions

Since November 1995, a memorial plaque has been installed in the church , which was dedicated to all restorers of this object. In it you can also see the sculpture of Jesus Christ, the statue of Roland, the tomb of I. Zuckerbeker and A. Knopken, the stone epitaphs dedicated to F. Ringerberg, IV Holst, I. Brevern and V. Barclay de Tolly, the tomb of the doctor of medicine B. T. Graf and his wife K. von Schiffer, the "Blue Guards".

Work of the Church

The city where St. Peter's Church is located is Riga. Address: Skarnu street, house 19. The church experienced all its perestroika and history in a place that is now called the old city (not far from Town Hall Square and the Daugava River bank, the largest in Latvia).

When the country is visited by numerous tourists, the first place where they are advised to go is the church of St. Peter, Riga. The temple is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm, except Monday. The church performs many functions, for example, it is a museum and continues to hold divine services. Its great dignity, because of which many travelers from different countries come there, is this: this is the highest point of view in the city. From the height of the tower you can see a stunning panorama of the city. This is the difference between St. Peter's Church and Riga. The cost of an observation deck for adults is 7 euros, for students - 5, for schoolchildren - 3, children under seven years are free, of course, under the supervision of parents.