Tuesday, 5 August 2008

St Peter's Church, Latvia


- one of oldest Lutheran churches in the Baltic States
- construction began 13th century
- view shows Old City, centre of Rega and Daugava River
- said to be jinxed as it has been burnt down and rebuilt many times, first in 1666 and last on St Peter's Day in 1941 and last restored in 1973

- looking through the church, you can tell there has been many attempts at restoration at different periods of time due to the mis matched interior. A lot of money has been spent on the altar area, however there are areas that are still left to be fully restored
- the steps to the lift feel like you are about to fall off them, and the lift feels like it could snap off at any moment
- once you are up there, your breath is taken away by how beautiful the landscape is and how far you can see, from the central Art Nouveau architecture, across the river and even the dark, vast border forests that surround a large part of Latvia.
- there is a great sense of peace at the top of the tower, and you get this feeling of warmth that Rega has managed to rebuild and empower itself after its troubled history.

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