Orthodox Cathedral of Jelgava

The Cathedral of St. Simeon and St. Anne is the Orthodox Cathedral of Jelgava. The origins of the church date back to 1711, when Frederick William, Duke of the Curonian Spit (1698 - 1711) promised to build an Orthodox church in Jelgava. During the reign of the Duke's widow, Anna, his court counsellor Pēteris Bestuževs ordered in 1726 the construction of a wooden Orthodox church near the Duchess's castle. A stone building was then constructed between 1774 and 1780, designed by the architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. During the Baltic russification period from 1890 to 1892, with the financial support of the Russian Emperor Alexander III, the cathedral was completely rebuilt according to the project of the architect Nikolai Chagin. During the Second World War, when the Red Army attacked in August 1944, the cathedral was destroyed and the church remained in ruins. After Latvia's independence, the church was returned to the Latvian Orthodox Church and restored (1993-2003).

About this building

Key Features

  • Architecture

Visitors information

  • Bus stop within 100m
  • Café within 500m

Other nearby buildings

Wikimedia Commons/Edgars Šulcs

Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built between 1902 and 1906 on a former 17th-century Catholic church. During the French Revolution, the future Louis XVIII lived in Jelgava with a courtyard, which left the church with very luxurious liturgical utensils. Although it briefly bore the title of cathedral between 1783 and 1798, it was not until 1995 that the church was finally erected as a cathedral.

Wikimedia Commons/J. Sedols

Dubulti Lutheran Church

The Lutheran Dubulti Church is the largest Art Nouveau style stone church in Latvia. The present church was built between 1905 and 1907 by Krišjānis Ķergalvis (1856-1936), a Riga entrepreneur and industrialist and a master mason. The architects of the church were Vilhelms Ludvig Bokslafs (1858-1945) and Edgars Voldemārs Eduards Frīzendorfs (1881-1945). In 1962 the church was converted into a museum and concert hall. It only regained its religious function after Latvia's independence.

Wikimedia Commons/Normunds K

Mežmuiža Church

The Mežmuiža Church is an Evangelical Lutheran church built in 1648. The first wooden prayer house was built here around 1490-1530 by monks, calling for the adoption of Catholicism. In 1590 a stone church replaced it. In 1648, the church was given a tiled roof, a tower was built and consecrated on 14th August. In 1699 the church was renovated, a new pulpit and a baroque altar were installed. In 1880 the church was rebuilt. In 1983, the congregation left the church, it was destroyed, part of the interior was transferred to the castle museum Rundāle.