Cathedral

Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

Rīga Cathedral


Founded in 1211 as the seat of the Rīga diocese, this enormous (once Catholic, now Evangelical Lutheran) cathedral is the largest medieval church in the Baltic. The architecture is an amalgam of styles from the 13th to the 18th centuries: the eastern end, the oldest portion, has Romanesque features; the tower is 18th-century baroque; and much of the rest dates from a 15th-century Gothic rebuild. The glazed black bricks are a symbol of the Hanseatic architecture.

During Soviet times services were forbidden, but the building, along with its huge 6768-pipe organ, built in 1884, underwent a careful reconstruction in 1983. It was used as a classical-music venue, which it very much remains now, although services are held again and it's the home of the Lutheran archbishop of Latvia.

The floor and walls of the huge interior are dotted with old stone tombs – note the carved symbols denoting the rank or post of the occupant. Eminent citizens would pay to be buried as close to the altar as possible. In 1709 the cholera and typhoid outbreak that killed a third of Rīga’s population was blamed on a flood that inundated the tombs, whereupon new burials were banned. The serene cloisters provide a breather from the tourist-mobbed streets of Rīga.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Rīga History & Navigation Museum

0.04 MILES

Founded in 1773 and situated in the old Rīga Cathedral monastery, this engaging museum presents the sweep of local history, from the Bronze Age all the…

2. Museum of the Barricades of 1991

0.06 MILES

Latvia's independence came after enormous struggles. One of the most remarkable stories involves the barricades built by thousands of citizens around…

3. Art Museum Rīga Bourse

0.06 MILES

Rīga’s lavishly restored 1852 stock exchange building is a worthy showcase for the city's art treasures. The elaborate facade features a coterie of…

4. Three Brothers

0.09 MILES

Tallinn has its Three Sisters, so Rīga has dubbed three of its old stone houses the Three Brothers. These architectural gems conveniently line up in a…

5. Town Hall

0.1 MILES

Rīga's historic town hall was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt from scratch in 2003. A statue of St Roland, the city’s patron, takes pride of place on the…

6. St James' Cathedral

0.13 MILES

Built in 1225, this church has ping-ponged many times between Catholic and Protestant, and has been home to many languages and communities, including…

7. Statue of St Roland

0.13 MILES

A statue of St Roland, the city’s patron, takes pride of place on the square in front of the town hall.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "latvia/riga/old-riga/attractions/riga-cathedral/a/poi-sig/1276483/1342833",
      "position": "superzone"
    }