St. Peter's Church. Riga.

St. Peter's Church is one of the symbols and one of the main attractions of the Latvian Riga. Located in the Old Town. The oldest religious building in the city, it was first mentioned in 1209. It is famous for its original, recognizable spire. Before the construction of the Riga TV Tower, St. Peter's Church was the tallest building in the city. Architectural monument.

For the first time, the Church of St. Peter is mentioned in the chronicles of 1209. Initially, it was assumed that this would be the main church of the city. In contrast to the Dome Cathedral, the Church of St. Peter was built as a folk church - merchants, artisans and other residents of the city took an active part in raising funds for the construction. In addition, St. Peter's Church was the main religious building of the Riga burghers (the privileged segment of the urban population in feudal Riga). One of the oldest schools in the city operated at the church. The temple was built in the restrained Gothic style typical of Northern Europe. Initially, the church was, apparently, a small hall-type room with three naves of the same height and, probably, with a separately standing tower. Today the remains of this structure forms the central part of the temple.

In 1408-1409 the architect Johann Rummeshotel from Rostock built a new altarpiece building. The reconstruction of the temple was continued in 1456 and lasted until 1473, when the construction of the Gothic bell tower was completed. The building received its Baroque façade with three richly decorated portals in the 17th century. The last reconstruction of the tower of the temple and the construction of the first spire in its present form dates back to the same time. In the 16th century, the church from a religious building gradually began to turn into a symbol of power, which held political and economic power. In 1690, the grand opening of a new church tower, erected in the Baroque style, with several domes and galleries, took place. It became the tallest wooden tower in Europe at that time. There were also several significant reconstructions in the 19th century. By this time, under the conditions of developing capitalism, a bourgeois class had formed, and the church, against the background of the disintegrated feudal city government, lost its significance as a representative of the ruling class.

During the Second World War, the church, along with the adjacent territory, was badly damaged by shelling. According to one version, the increased shelling of the building was caused by the fact that the observation post of the Soviet troops defending the city was located on the tower. As a result of shelling and fires caused by it, the spire and roof of the building were destroyed, the interior of the temple was destroyed, the walls were badly damaged. For a long time, the building lay in ruins. On June 14, 1966, the Council of Ministers of the Latvian SSR made a decision to restore the building. In 1973 the new spire of the church was completed. The restoration of the interior lasted until 1983. After restoration, the building housed an exhibition and concert hall. At present, the church has been transferred to the Lutheran Church of Latvia, and regular services are held.