- Nativity Cathedral, Riga
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Nativity Cathedral
The Nativity of Christ Cathedral in 200756°57′14.09″N 24°6′55.97″E / 56.9539139°N 24.1155472°ECoordinates: 56°57′14.09″N 24°6′55.97″E / 56.9539139°N 24.1155472°E Location Riga Country Latvia Denomination Eastern Orthodox - This article is about the Orthodox cathedral of Riga. See other articles for the Lutheran cathedral and the Roman Catholic cathedral.
The Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Latvian: Kristus Piedzimšanas pareizticīgo katedrāle) , Riga, Latvia was built to a design by Nikolai Chagin in a Neo-Byzantine style between 1876 and 1883, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire. It is the largest Orthodox cathedral in the Baltic provinces built with the blessing of the Russian Tsar Alexander II on the initiative of local governor-general Pyotr Bagration and bishop Veniamin Karelin. The Nativity of Christ Cathedral is renowned for its icons, some of which were painted by Vasili Vereshchagin. During the First World War German troops occupied Riga and turned its largest Russian Orthodox cathedral into a Lutheran church. In independent Latvia the Nativity of Christ Cathedral once again became an Orthodox cathedral in 1921, although the new government tried to force the change of the liturgy language into Latvian. Archbishop Jānis Pommers, a native Latvian, played a key part in the defence of the cathedral. In the early 1960s Soviet authorities closed down the cathedral and converted its building into a planetarium. The cathedral has been restored since Latvia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
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Riga cityscape Buildings Castle • Cat House • Convent Yard • Daugavgrīva • House of the Blackheads • Large Guild • Latvian Academy of Sciences • National Library of Latvia • Powder Tower • Small Guild • Swedish Gate • Three BrothersHotels Grand Palace • Radisson Blu DaugavaMonuments & memorials Brothers' Cemetery • Bikernieki Memorial • Freedom Monument • Great Cemetery • Pokrov Cemetery • Victory Memorial to Soviet ArmyParks & gardens Vērmanes GardenPlaces of worship Nativity Cathedral • Cathedral • St. Peter's Church • St. James's CathedralStructures Island Bridge • Radio and TV Tower • Railway Bridge • Southern Bridge • Stone Bridge • Vanšu BridgeTourist attractions Waterways Places of worship in Riga Lutheran churches: Bolderāja • Cathedral • Church of Christ • Church of Jesus • Church of Luther • Church of the Cross • Church of the Resurrection • Daugavgrīva • Holy Trinity • Jaunciems • Mežaparks • New St. Gertrude's • Old St. Gertrude's • St. Catherine's • St. John's • St. Martin's • St. Paul's • St. Peter'sCatholic churches: Assumption of Our Lady • Cathedral • Christ the King • Our Lady of Sorrows • St. Albert's • St. Catherine's • St. Francis • St. George's • St. Joseph's • St. Mary Magdalene'sOrthodox churches: All Saints • Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady • Ascension • Christ the Saviour • Holy Archangel Mikhail • Holy Trinity • Holy Trinity Cathedral • Icon of Our Lady of Kazanha • Nativity Cathedral • St. Alexander Nevsky • St. John the Precursor • St. Peter and St. Paul • St. Sergius of Radonezh • Shelter of Our Most Holy Lady • Revelation of ChristOld Believers place of worship: Grebenstchikov House of PrayerCategories:- Churches in Riga
- Cathedrals in Latvia
- Neo-Byzantine architecture in Latvia
- Religious buildings completed in 1883
- 19th-century church buildings
- European church stubs
- Latvian building and structure stubs
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