Old St. Gertrude's Church

Riga, Latvia

The monumental neo-Gothic church was consecrated in 1869. This red brick masterpiece topped with a green copper spire was designed by one of the city’s most prolific architects, J.D. Felsko. Unfortunately, some of its decorative ornaments cast in concrete are now in a sad state and hang precariously above passers-by. Many of the art nouveau buildings surrounding the church are also worth a look.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Ģertrūdes iela, Riga, Latvia
See all sites in Riga

Details

Founded: 1869
Category: Religious sites in Latvia
Historical period: Part of the Russian Empire (Latvia)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.inyourpocket.com
www.360cities.net

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Riga Old Town (1,4 km)
House of Blackheads (1,5 km)
St. Peter's Church (1,4 km)
Mentzendorff House (1,5 km)
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (1,5 km)
Small & Great Guild Hall (1,2 km)
Riga Cathedral (1,4 km)
St. John's Church (1,3 km)
St. James's Cathedral (1,3 km)


Salaspils Concentration Camp (14,4 km)
Jelgava Palace (41,1 km)
St. Simeon’s and St. Anna’s Orthodox Cathedral (41,8 km)
Jungfernhof Concentration Camp (8,6 km)
Ikskile Church Ruins (28 km)
St. Anne's Church (42,2 km)
Vecdole Castle Ruins (13,4 km)
Daugavgriva Castle Ruins (10,9 km)

User Reviews

melna maizite (18 months ago)
Neat and humble neogothic Lutheran church
Cosmos O (2 years ago)
I assisted to orchestra and chorus concert and it was very nice, the place is beautiful.
Romans Andruzskis (2 years ago)
Beutiful castl in the circle
David Hahn (2 years ago)
I went to an evening concert of organ music. The church an exterior of brick has beautiful interior stone arches. I am not well versed in church design but it does look gothic to me
David Burnfield (2 years ago)
We happened to walk in there this Wednesday evening at 7 PM and there was a concert on. At first there was an orchestra combining regular orchestra instruments as well as Latvian instruments. That was followed by choirs of the most professional quality. Beautiful music, we loved it.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal
Photo from Flickr, copyright Dennis Schäffer

Historic Site of the week

Externsteine Stones

The Externsteine (Extern stones) is a distinctive sandstone rock formation located in the Teutoburg Forest, near the town of Horn-Bad Meinberg. The formation is a tor consisting of several tall, narrow columns of rock which rise abruptly from the surrounding wooded hills. Archaeological excavations have yielded some Upper Paleolithic stone tools dating to about 10,700 BC from 9,600 BC.

In a popular tradition going back to an idea proposed to Hermann Hamelmann in 1564, the Externsteine are identified as a sacred site of the pagan Saxons, and the location of the Irminsul (sacral pillar-like object in German paganism) idol reportedly destroyed by Charlemagne; there is however no archaeological evidence that would confirm the site's use during the relevant period.

The stones were used as the site of a hermitage in the Middle Ages, and by at least the high medieval period were the site of a Christian chapel. The Externsteine relief is a medieval depiction of the Descent from the Cross. It remains controversial whether the site was already used for Christian worship in the 8th to early 10th centuries.

The Externsteine gained prominence when Völkisch and nationalistic scholars took an interest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This interest peaked under the Nazi regime, when the Externsteine became a focus of nazi propaganda. Today, they remain a popular tourist destination and also continue to attract Neo-Pagans and Neo-Nazis.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.