Faith in supreme patrons has existed throughout the entire meaningful life of people. Since ancient times, mankind has worshiped the gods in which they believed, built temples and churches, read prayers and left gifts. To this day, thousands of buildings have survived on our planet, where people of various religions gathered. These buildings are not only carriers of spiritual power, but also one of the greatest architectural works. Getting to the highest stage of art, people used all their abilities to create the greatest of creations, worthy of God. One of these is considered to be the Church of St. Peter. Riga welcomed the most skillful and talented craftsmen of its time to build it.
History of Appearance
The exact date of the construction of the church is unknown, but in 1209 it is mentioned in the chronicles for the first time. The location of the church has never changed, it continues to stand in the same place where it stood almost a millennium ago: the city of Riga, Latvia. Then this building consisted ofa small hall and three naves of the same height. It is not known for certain, but it is believed that a tower was built at the church, which was located separately. The townspeople - merchants, artisans and others - helped to build the church, investing their own funds in the construction. It was thought that the temple of God would become the main one in the whole city, so a lot of effort was invested in its creation; upon completion, the building had to look rich and luxurious, maintain prestige. The church was visited by the upper strata of society - the Riga burghers. There was also a school, one of the oldest in the city. The church received the title of Evangelical Lutheran and bears it to this day.
First changes
After a century and a half, the church underwent some changes for the first time - a clock appeared on the tower, and a sentry began to work nearby, which warned the people about fires and other dangers. With the advent of the 15th century, they decided to rebuild the church, for this work they chose the master Johann Rummesottel. He erected a new altar room, but further work continued almost until the end of the century, all of 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 high. The octagonal 133-meter spire towered over the city, and not a single building in Riga could compare with the grandeur of the church.
Continuation of restructuring
On March 11, 1666, the spire, stubbornly standing under the winds and bad weather for 175 years, could not stand it andcrashed into nearby houses. A year later, the tower began to be rebuilt, but after 10 years there was a fire, and the spire was again destroyed along with some part of the church. To rebuild everything anew, craftsmen from Latvia were invited. Under the leadership of 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 was completed in 1697.
After 24 years, lightning strikes the spire of St. Peter's Church, it collapses again, but does not hurt anything. Master I. Wilbern worked on the restoration for 3 years, the spire was crowned with a rooster, on which the master himself climbed after construction and drank a glass of wine.
Rooster of St. Peter's Church
There were 6 roosters throughout the existence of the church. The first was planted on a spire in 1491, in 1538 it was restored along with the church, when it was sheathed with copper sheets, and in the same year the rooster broke. He was replaced by a second one in 1539, but lasted only until autumn. If the first two roosters fell off the spire due to strong winds, then the third appeared on Mollin's engraving in 1612, he served 73 years. All roosters were different, but did not stay long. The fourth time this figure was installed in 1651, it was gilded. Unfortunately, this rooster fell off again in 1569. The fifth one was also gilded, but 6 years after installation, it fell down. The sixth cockerel was destroyed infire caused in 1941 by an artillery shell. And finally, the seventh is on the spire and today, it has been serving for 46 years now, has a weight of 158 kilograms, a height of 1.5 and a width of 2 meters.
Reconstruction after World War II
World War II left only ruins on the spot where St. Peter's Church stood. Riga was completely under fire. In 1954, everything was restored except for the tower, and in 1966 it was decided to restore the tower and spire, adding an observation deck. This was the result of long disputes between the Council of Ministers of the Latvian SSR. The architects P. Saulytis and G. Zirnis worked on the restoration under the direction of E. Darbvaris. The main work was carried out in Riga, the components of the tower structure were prepared in Minsk, the installation was carried out by workers from Leningrad. As a result, the spire became 124 meters and 25 centimeters high. Observation platforms were built at a height of 57 and 72 meters. In 1973, elevators were put into operation for lifting to the platforms with a carrying capacity of 1000 kg. The mechanisms reached the top in 63 seconds.
The work was completed on June 29, 1973, on this day the Church of St. Peter started working. Riga has regained its main attraction.
About Saint Peter
Apostle Peter was one of the twelve followers of Jesus Christ, the son of a fisherman and 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 thanks to hisdetermination and strong spirit.
The apostle was a favorite disciple of Jesus Christ, relentlessly followed him anywhere. When Jesus asked his apostles what they thought of him, Peter replied that he was the Christ, the son of God. And then Jesus answered him: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build 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 whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose in earth, it will be permitted in heaven. (Matthew 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 the place that the apostle Peter visited, but still he is the patron of this city.
Peter repented for a long time after his denial of Christ, but after the Holy Spirit descended on earth, he devoted his life to preaching. The apostle was repeatedly persecuted for his faith and activities, but he never went astray. He read his sermons in different parts of the world: on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, in Asia Minor, Antioch, Egypt, Greece, Spain, Carthage and Britain.
St. Peter was crucified, turned upside down, so as not to want to die a death similar to that of his mentor, in Rome in the 67th year after the birth of Christ.
St. Peter's Church today
To this day, streams of believers tend to visit St. Peter's Church (Riga). The observation deck of the temple has repeatedly become the site of various incidents. So, for example, in the 90s on the towerclimbed up wanting to settle scores with life, which he succeeded. After this incident, the church was covered with a net to prevent a repeat of this. At the end of the first millennium, on the day of the anniversary of Latvia, the National Bolsheviks made their way to the observation deck, taking hostage the tourists who were at that time on the tower. Then the special forces had to work, surround the church and lure the violators out.
Main attractions
Since November 1995, a memorial plaque has been installed in the church, which was dedicated to all the restorers of this object. In it you can also see a sculpture of Jesus Christ, a statue of Roland, tombstones of I. Zuckerbecker and A. Knopken, stone epitaphs dedicated to F. Ringerberg, I. V. Holst, I. Brevern and V. Barclay de Tolly, the tombs of Dr. B. T. Graf and his wife K. von Schiefer, Blue Guard.
Church work
The city where St. Peter's Church is located is Riga. Address: Skarnu street, house 19. The temple experienced all its reconstruction and history in a place that is now called the old town (not far from the Town Hall Square and the banks of the Daugava River, the largest in Latvia).
When many tourists visit the country, the first place they are advised to go is St. Peter's Church, Riga. The temple is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm, except Mondays. The church performs many functions, for example, it is a museum and continues to hold services. Its great merit, because of which many people come theretravelers from different countries, is as follows: it is the highest viewpoint in the city. From the height of the tower offers a stunning panorama of the city. This is the dignity of St. Peter's Church, Riga. The cost of the observation deck for adults is 7 euros, for students - 5, for schoolchildren - 3, children under seven years old go free of charge, of course, under the supervision of their parents.
