Editing St. Peter's Church, Riga

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox church
| name                   = St. Peter's Church
| fullname               = The Parish Church of Saint Peter 
| native_name            = Svētā Pētera baznīca
| image                  = St. Peter's Church facade, Riga, Latvia - Diliff.jpg
| imagesize              =
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| caption                = 
| pushpin map            = Latvia Riga
| pushpin label position =
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| coordinates            = {{coord|56|56|51|N|24|6|34|E|display=inline,title|region:LV-RIX_type:landmark}}
| location               = [[Vecrīga|Old Riga]], [[Riga]]
| country                = [[Latvia]]
| denomination           = [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]]
| previous denomination  = [[Roman Catholic]]
| churchmanship          =
| membership             =
| attendance             =
| website                = [http://peterbaznica.riga.lv/en/news/ Website of the Church]
| former name            = 
| bull date              = 
| founded date           = [[13th century]]<!-- {{start date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} - but see note below -->
| founder                = [[Albert of Riga]]
| dedication             = [[Saint Peter]]
| dedicated date         = 
| consecrated date       = 
| cult                   = 
| relics                 = 
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| past bishop            = 
| people                 = 
| status                 = [[Parish church]]
| functional status      = Active
| heritage designation   = 
| designated date        = 
| architect              = 
| architectural type     = 
| style                  = [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]]
| years built            = {{unbulleted list | 1209 | 1419 | 1470 (rebuilt as [[basilica]] with 3 aisles and [[Vault (architecture)|vaulted ceilings]]) | 1690 | 1721 | 1954 (restored after WW2)}}
| groundbreaking         = 
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| capacity               = 
| length                 = {{convert|78.8|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| width                  = {{convert|34.9|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| width nave             = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| height                 = {{convert|30|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| diameter               = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| other dimensions       = 
| floor count            = 
| floor area             = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| dome quantity          = 
| dome height outer      = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| dome height inner      = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| dome dia outer         = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| dome dia inner         = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| spire quantity         = 1
| spire height           = {{convert|123.25|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| materials              = 
| bells                  = 
| bells hung             = 
| bell weight            = <!-- {{long ton|0| }} -->
| pastor                 = Atis Vaickovskis
| archbishop             = [[Jānis Vanags]]
| archdiocese            = Riga
}}
'''St. Peter's Church''' ({{langx|lv|Svētā Pētera evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca}}, {{langx|de|St. Petrikirche}}) is a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] [[Church (building)|church]] in [[Riga]], the capital of [[Latvia]], dedicated to [[Saint Peter]]. It is a parish church of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia]].

==History==
First mention of the St. Peter's Church is in records dating to 1209. The church was of [[masonry]] construction and therefore undamaged by a city fire in Riga that year. The history of the church can be divided into three distinct periods: two associated with [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] and [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] building styles and the third with the early [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] period. The middle section of the church was built during the 13th century, which encompasses the first period. The only remnants of this period are located in the outer [[nave]] walls and on the inside of a few pillars in the nave, around which larger pillars were later built.[[File:SAPUNOV(1893) -84- p607.jpg|thumb|Riga in 1547 - The three church towers: [[St. James's Cathedral, Riga|St. James’s Church]]; [[Riga Cathedral]]; [[St. Peter's Church, Riga|St. Peter's Church]]|left]]
===Second period of construction===
The second period dates to 1408–09, when master builder {{Interlanguage link multi|Johannes Rumeschottel|de|3=Johann Rumeschottel}}<ref name="Ludwig152">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EQ3g4pXfWA4C&q=Rumeschottel&pg=PA152 |title=St. Georgen zu Wismar: die Geschichte einer mittelalterlichen Pfarrkirche |author=Steve Ludwig |year=1998 |language=german |pages=152 |isbn=9783980548076 |accessdate=9 April 2010}}</ref> <!-- and [[Kersten Rumeschottel]] (needs reference) --> from [[Rostock]] supervised the construction of the [[sanctuary]], based on the [[St. Mary's Church, Rostock|St. Mary's Church]] in Rostock. The sanctuary was almost finished by 1409, but due to the [[Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War]] it was completed and dedicated only in 1419. Other construction work was interrupted by the [[Plague (disease)|plague]] in 1420 and resumed in the 1430s. The 13th-century church was reconstructed in 1456–66 to conform to the newly built sanctuary. Both constructions were joined in the 1470s, thereby creating a mighty [[basilica]] with three [[aisle]]s and ornate [[Vault (architecture)|vaulted ceiling]]s. The old bell tower was replaced in 1456, and a bell was hung in the new tower in 1477. A {{convert|136|m}} octagonal [[Steeple (architecture)|steeple]] was added to the tower in 1491, which, along with the church's front facade, dominated the silhouette of Riga. The tower collapsed 11 March 1666, destroying a neighboring building and burying eight people in the rubble. The cornerstone for a new tower was laid 29 June 1667.
[[File:St. Peter's Church Interior, Riga, Latvia - Diliff.jpg|thumb|left|The nave]]


===Third period of construction===
The third period of construction dates to 1671–90, with the construction of the western facade and the new tower. The roof, vaulted ceilings and furnishings were also renovated during this time. [[Jacob Josten]], the [[Dutch people|Dutch]]-born master builder of Riga,<ref name="nlemb06">{{cite web|url=http://www.netherlandsembassy.lv/data/file/Chapter_IX._Architecture,_landscaping_and_engineering.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628184210/http://www.netherlandsembassy.lv/data/file/Chapter_IX._Architecture,_landscaping_and_engineering.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 June 2021 |title=Chapter IX. Architecture, landscaping and engineering |publisher=netherlandsembassy.lv |author=Zita Pētersone |pages=6 |accessdate=8 April 2010}} </ref> designed the tower and supervised its construction, which was begun April 1671 by the master mason [[Heinrich Henicke]].<ref name="tournet">{{cite web|url=http://www.tournet.lv/page.php?id=2133 |title=Internet-Reisefürer Lettland > St. Petrikirche |publisher=tournet.lv |language=German |accessdate=9 April 2010}}</ref> Josten was replaced in 1675 by {{Interlanguage link multi|Rupert Bindenschu|de|3=Rupert Bindenschu}} (''1645–1698''), the next master builder of Riga.<ref name="nlemb08">{{cite web|url=http://www.netherlandsembassy.lv/data/file/Chapter_IX._Architecture,_landscaping_and_engineering.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628184210/http://www.netherlandsembassy.lv/data/file/Chapter_IX._Architecture,_landscaping_and_engineering.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 June 2021 |title=Chapter IX. Architecture, landscaping and engineering |publisher=netherlandsembassy.lv |author=Zita Pētersone |pages=8 |accessdate=8 April 2010}} </ref> The tower was completed in 1677, but it, along with the church interior, were destroyed already 21 May 1677, during a citywide fire. Bindenshu supervised the subsequent repairs in 1677–79: vaulted wooden ceilings replaced the former masonry vaulted ceilings, and the roof, windows, interior and furnishings were replaced or renovated. First service in the renovated church took place 14 September 1679.
Renovation of the tower began 1686 and was designed by the city engineer Friedrich S. von Dahlen. The [[city council]] did not approve of the half-finished steeple, and so it was torn down in 1688. A new {{convert|148|m}} copper-roofed steeple, designed by Bindenshu, was then built. A [[sphere]] and [[rooster]] were set atop the steeple 10 May 1690. This tower was the tallest wooden construction in Europe at the time.
The western facade of the church was also altered in the later 17th century. The brick construction was covered with reddish [[limestone]] from [[Salaspils]] and [[Koknese]], and the facade was decorated with [[volute]]s, [[pilaster]]s, [[cornice]]s, vases and borders made of [[Gotland]] stone. In 1692 the [[Riga City Council]] approved a design by Bindenshu and the mason Andreas Peterman for three identical portals. The merchant Klaus Mistett financed the portals, which were built by H. Henneken, [[Johann Daniel Schauss]], [[Johann Gerwin]]<ref name="tournet" /> and several other sculptors. The portals were decorated with Baroque style limestone sculptures. In 1694 L. Martini installed a new tower clock with a [[glockenspiel]] from [[Amsterdam]].

===First reconstruction===
The newly renovated church served for a mere 29 years, for lightning struck and set fire to the tower and church 10 May 1721. Only the church and tower walls remained standing after the fire. Reconstruction of the church began immediately under the direction of the master carpenter [[Tom Bochum]] and master mason [[Kristofer Meinert]]. By 1723 the building already had a temporary roof. [[Johann Heinrich Wilbern]] took over supervision of the project in 1740, and under his direction a new {{convert|120.7|m}} steeple was built in 1746. The steeple was covered with copper-plate and the rooster was [[Gilding|gilded]] in 1746–47.
[[Christoph Haberland]] designed a new marble [[pulpit]] for the church, which was built in [[Italy]] in 1793. In 1794 Haberland renovated the wooden vaulted ceilings in the central sections of the nave. The interior walls were plastered and the lower sections of the pillars were covered with oak panels in 1885 under the direction of architect [[Reinhold Schmaeling|Reinhold Georg Schmaeling]] (''1840–1917'').

===Second reconstruction===
[[File:Burning of St. Peter's Church, Riga, Latvia, 1941.jpg|thumb|203x203px|Burning of St. Peter's Church (1941)|left]]
Artillery fire destroyed the church on 29 June 1941. Conservation and restoration began 1954 with research by architect [[Pēteris Saulītis]]. The work was carried out from 1967 to 1983 under the direction of Saulītis and architect [[Gunārs Zirnis]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.latvijasvestnesis.lv/pzni/body_print.php?id=55977 |title=Iezīmēta vieta, kur sākas Latvijas Republika |author=Jānis Klētnieks |publisher=Latvijas Vēstnesis |language=Latvian |date=28 November 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2010 }}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Renovation began with the metal tower frame. A rooster – a precise reproduction of the previous rooster and the seventh rooster in all – was placed atop the steeple 21 August 1970. The renovated tower clock began to show time in July 1975. According to tradition, it has only an hour hand. The bell music began in 1976; it plays the Latvian folk melody "''[[Rīga dimd]]''" five times a day and bells ring at the top of every hour. The tower has an [[elevator]] installed that allows visitors a view of Riga from a height of {{convert|72|m}}. Renovation of the interior of the church ended in 1984. The Polish company "''PKZ''" restored the main facade and portals in 1987–91. The St. Peter's Latvian Lutheran congregation resumed services in the church 1991, and the church was returned to the ownership of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia]] on 4 April 2006.

During World War II, the church lost an important object of cultural heritage - an impressive bronze candelabrum made in 1596 - which was taken to the town of [[Włocławek]] by Germans from Riga, resettled during "[[Heim ins Reich]]" action to annexed Polish territories. The 310&nbsp;cm high and 378&nbsp;cm wide candelabrum, previously called a standing lantern, was ordered by the City Council of Riga from the metal founder Hans Meyer's Riga foundry. After the war, it was displayed in Włocławek's Basilica Cathedral of the St. Mary of Assumption. On 1 March 2012 this piece of the Late Renaissance art returned to its ancient home, as a result of an agreement on the repatriation of cultural properties. The statue of the rooster on the top of the church weighs 158&nbsp;kg and 140 grams of gold were used to gold plate the statue.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://peterbaznica.riga.lv/en/history-/ | title=Rīgas Sv. Pētera baznīca - History | accessdate=19 February 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://latvia.lv/et/library/latvia-recovers-two-cultural-treasures | title=Latvia recovers two cultural treasures | access-date=19 February 2015 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219195535/http://latvia.lv/et/library/latvia-recovers-two-cultural-treasures | archive-date=19 February 2015}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="250" heights="170">
File:Собор Св. Петра на открытке.jpg|St. Peter's Church in 19th century
File:Old Town Riga 1940s.jpg|The shape of St. Peter's Church after it burned down during World War II
File:Damaged buildings of the Riga Old Town and St. Peter's Church during the World War II, 1939-1945.jpg|Ruins of St. Peter's Church and [[House of the Blackheads (Riga)|House of the Blackheads]]
File:St Peter's church and destruction of Riga, Latvia, WW2.jpg|Church after bombing and fire
St. Peter's Church.JPG|St. Peter's Church, with the tower of the [[Riga Cathedral|cathedral church]] behind
File:Iglesia de San Pedro, Riga, Letonia, 2012-08-07, DD 39.JPG|St. Peter's Church as seen from Daugava River
</gallery>

=== Panorama ===
{{Wide image|Riga Skyline Panorama, Latvia - Diliff.jpg|1200px|360 degrees panorama view as seen from St. Peter's church, Riga, Latvia}}

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book
| last = Mašnovskis
| first = Vitolds <!-- | authorlink = Vitolds Mašnovskis -->
| title = Latvijas luterāņu baznīcas : Vēsture, arhitektūra, māksla un memoriālā kultūra : 3. sējums M-Sal – The Lutheran Churches of Latvia : An encyclopedia in four volumes.
| language = Latvian, English
| publisher = DUE
| location = Riga
| year = 2007
| isbn = 978-9984-9948-4-0
| oclc = 229902564
}}
*{{cite book
| last = Banga
| first = Vita <!-- | authorlink = Vita Banga -->
|author2=Marina Levina| title = Rīgas dievnami: Arhitektūra un māksla. Riga's Churches. Architecture and Art
| language = Latvian, German, English, Russian
| publisher = Zinātne, Apgads Mantojums
| location = Riga
| year = 2007
| oclc = 217266501
| isbn = 978-9984-823-00-3
|display-authors=etal}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Saint Peter's Church, Riga}}

{{Riga Cityscape}}
{{Places of worship in Riga}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peters Church, Riga}}
[[Category:13th-century churches in Latvia]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1419]]
[[Category:Churches completed in the 1410s]]
[[Category:15th-century churches in Latvia]]
[[Category:Churches in Riga]]
[[Category:Gothic architecture in Latvia]]
[[Category:Romanesque architecture in Latvia]]
[[Category:Baroque architecture in Latvia]]
[[Category:Rebuilt churches]]
[[Category:Lutheran churches in Latvia]]