St. Saviour's Church, Riga

St. Saviour's Church (Latvian: Anglikāņu Sv. Pestītāja baznīca) is a congregation of the Church of England in Riga, Latvia. Its parish church is located at Anglikāņu iela 2.[1] This is to the north of the old town centre (Vecrīga), close to Riga Castle and the banks of the Daugava River.

St. Saviour's Church, Riga
Religion
AffiliationChurch of England
DistrictDiocese in Europe
LeadershipThe Reverend Elīza Zikmane
Year consecrated1859
Location
LocationRiga, Latvia
Geographic coordinates56°56′59″N 24°06′07″E / 56.949714°N 24.101919°E / 56.949714; 24.101919
Architecture
Architect(s)Johann Felsko
TypeChurch
StyleVictorian Gothic
Completed1859
MaterialsBrick
Website
Anglican Church in Riga

The neo-Gothic church was designed by Johann Felsko. The foundation stone was laid in 1857 and the church was consecrated on 26 July 1859 by Bishop Walter Trower. Church use was halted during the Soviet occupation, and in 1973 it became the home of the Riga Polytechnic Institute student club.[2][3]

After Latvia regained its independence in 1991, an English-speaking congregation was again formed under the guidance of Lutheran Pastor Arden Haug. In 1995 the Latvian-born Reverend Dr Juris Calitis became the pastor of a growing congregation. Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga was installed as priest-in-charge in October 2014, succeeding Cālītis.[4] Elīza Zikmane became chaplain in 2020.[5]

The church operates a soup kitchen for homeless people in the undercroft,[6] and supports a club for the elderly (Senioru klubs).

Historical records are held in London Metropolitan Archives.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Church Locations". Europe.anglican.org. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  2. ^ "1859. gada 26. jūlijā. Rīgā iesvēta Anglikāņu baznīcu". La.lv. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  3. ^ "anglikānisms Latvijā" [Anglicanism in Latvia]. Latvian National Encyclopedia (in Latvian). Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  4. ^ Hamid, David (2014-11-10). "Eurobishop: St Saviour's Riga welcomes its new Priest-in-Charge". Eurobishop.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  5. ^ "Chaplains". Anglicanriga.lv. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Our Activities". Anglicanriga.lv. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  7. ^ "British Church, Riga". Aim25.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
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