Ikskile St. Meinhard's Church Ruins

Canon Meinard of the Augustinian Order of Segeberg monastery of the town of Holstein started to build a church in Ikskile in 1184. Until the foundation of Riga in 1201 the church was the seat of the Bishop of Livonia, thoroughly rebuilt from 1879 - 1881, destroyed in 1916.

Now there is a 10 m high cross (artists E.Samovics) and a stone altar (sculptor J.Karlovs) on the island. For the purpose of conservation the ruins were covered with metal in 2002.

You can get baptised, married and receive other sacrament in the first holy place in Latvia on St Meinard island.

To visit the Ikskile church ruins the island can be reached by boat and a ferry. Boats - 29294478
In summer, when the water level in Riga Hydroelectric Power Station is lowered, you can also reach the island by foot.
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The ruins of Ikskile church on St.Meinhard's island

Ikšķile is a city and a municipality in the South-West of Vidzeme, by the river Daugava, and can be counted as one of the oldest cities in Latvia. Ikšķile became the centre of the Livonian Bishopric.

Ikšķile is one of the oldest inhabited Latvian regions. This is also proved by the hill forts and ancient burial sites in the area. The bank of river Daugava housed a Livonian village starting from the 9-12th century. The name "Ikšķile" originated from the Livonia üks küla, which means "one village". In 1185 stonecutters from Gotland built the Livonian bishop's castle with a chapel - a church.

The Ikšķile church ruins - the oldest stone building ruins in Latvia, located on the small Saint Meinhard's Island, in the artificially created Rīgas HES reservoir. The church was built in 1185, by order of bishop Meinhard, rebuilt in 1879-1881, destroyed in 1916. After the creation of the Rīgas HES in the 1970s it was surrounded by water. Nowadays the ruins are preserved, with a roof built over them and the island secured. For preservation purposes, in 2002 the church received a metal roof, but preservation was also done in 1962-1963 and 1970-1975. In 2005 the church was included in the European Cultural Heritage list as one of Latvia's most preserved monuments.

Saint Meinhard's holy place is becoming more and more recognisable in Latvia due to both its cultural and religious significance. This island was the starting place of many youth days, when the Latvian youth carried a lit candle through all of Latvia - from the first church runs in Ikšķile to other Latvian cities. On the first Sunday after August 15 of every year, Saint Meinhard's Island holds the The Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven celebration. The Island holds sermons, as well as baptismal and marriage ceremonies.

Nowadays, visits to the ruins are done by boat or ferry, but every summer Rīgas HES undergoes repairs, allowing visitors to reach the island on dry feet using the old road whose sides still hold the stumps of the old alley trees.
www.ikskile.lv