The Riga Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (Roman Catholic) is located in Old Riga, at 5 Pils Street. It is a historically significant building – the first Catholic church built in Livonia after the arrival of the Reformation. The church is dedicated to the honor of Our Lady of Sorrows, symbolizing the previously suppressed Catholic faith in Vidzeme.
History and Construction
Beginnings: In 1780, Riga was visited by Joseph II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Seeing the tiny size and poverty of the Catholic chapel of that time, he promised in conversation with Empress Catherine II of Russia to support the construction of a new masonry church. The Emperor, together with his mother Maria Theresa, donated funds for the construction.
Course of Construction: Construction began in 1784 and was completed in 1785. On July 28 of that same year, the church was consecrated by Jan Benisławski, Auxiliary Bishop of Mogilev.
Builders and Authors: The work made extensive use of Russian craftsmen (plotniks) who were not affiliated with the guilds. The architect is not precisely known, but there is a possibility that the construction was advised by K. Haberland, who was then the chief master builder of the City of Riga.
Original Appearance and Parameters
According to J. C. Brotze's drawings from 1791 and historical data, the church originally had the following appearance:
Layout: The presbytery was located on the side of Castle Square, while the entrance was arranged from the Daugava side so as not to disturb the traffic in the square.
Dimensions: Length (including the presbytery and vestibule) – 28.4 meters, width – 14 meters, height – 12 meters.
Design: The walls were painted in the cool tones of Classicism (greenish with white). A low tower with a hemispherical dome stood above the altar apse. The floor was covered with limestone slabs, and the roof with sheet metal.
Interior: Inside were five marble altars: those of Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. John of Nepomuk, St. Vincent Ferrer, and the altar of the Crucified.
Rebuildings and Expansion
1837: With funds from the citizen Mārtiņš Boldaševskis, a small chapel with one altar was added on the northern side.
1858–1860: A large-scale reconstruction took place according to the plan of architect Johann Felsko. The church façade acquired its present pseudo-Romanesque style. The presbytery was moved to the opposite (southwestern) side, and a sacristy was added.
1885: An octagonal baptistery was added on the western side.
1895–1896: In place of the old chapel, a new masonry chapel in the Italian Renaissance style was built with donations from Count Justinian Szczitt and his relatives. It was consecrated in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary at Pentecost in 1896. Three altars were placed in the chapel: the central one (Our Lady of the Rosary), one on the right side (St. Joseph), and one on the left side (the Sacred Heart of Jesus).
Current Architectural and Interior Arrangement
Today the church has preserved the forms of the 1860 reconstruction and the 1885 baptistery, forming a unified ensemble with the surrounding private houses.
Façade and Structure: A three-nave building with cylindrical vaults and a gabled sheet-metal roof. The masonry walls retain the light bluish-green and white color scheme characteristic of Classicism, and the semicircular window frames are formed in decorative plasterwork.
Altars and Holy Images: On the right side of the church is a side altar of St. Anthony of Padua, and on the left side one in honor of St. Anne. Holy images of the Merciful Jesus and St. Thérèse of Lisieux are placed on the sides of the presbytery.
Pilgrims' Offerings: Over time, holy images brought by pilgrims have been added to the side altarpieces — a lithograph and statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje (in 1996) and a holy image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (in 2002).
