St. Joseph catholic cathedral, Liepāja
The St. Joseph Cathedral (Latvian: Liepājas Svētā Jāzepa Romas katoļu katedrāle) is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Liepāja located in Liepāja, Latvia.
History
Liepaja originally had a small wooden church built in 1508 and dedicated to Saint Ann. Around 1560 the church was converted to Lutheran worship. After the Reformation, the faithful of the Catholic Church had to travel to Lithuania to receive baptism and the other sacraments, because they did not have a place of Catholic worship available.
In 1747 a small stone church dedicated to St. Joseph was built in Liepāja. Religious services were conducted initially only on the third Sunday of each month. With the development of the city and the increased number of the faithful, the old church soon became too small. Intone carried out the construction of a new neo-Romanesque church, designed by architect Luis Melvil. It was completed and consecrated in 1911 in honor of St. Joseph.
On May 8, 1937 with the bull Aeterna salus animarum Pope Pius XI instituted the diocese of Liepaja and the church of St. Joseph was elevated to cathedral status.
en.wikipedia.org
Liepāja’s St. Joseph’s Cathedral is the largest Catholic church in Kurzeme with a rich and ornate interior.
The history of the cathedral begins in 1747 when a small stone church was built. Over time the old church became too small and a much larger building designed by architect Louis Melville was constructed in 1896 in Neo-Romantic style. The building was constructed using the so-called Danzig bricks which were individually wrapped and transported from Germany.
The old church building was not demolished but incorporated into the new church building. When inside the church and looking to the left, to the Chapel of Virgin Mary, the central altar of the old church can be seen along with the old masonry.
19th century paintings of Bible stories can be seen all around – on the columns, the walls and the wooden ceiling. A model sailing ship hangs high up from the ceiling – a gift from a ship’s crew who prayed for divine providence before setting sail. There is a small exhibition hall in the church tower, where the work of different artists is on display.
liepaja.travel
It used to be a very small church, but in the 19th century it was reconstructed to its present size and shape. The side chapel to the left has remained unchanged from the 18th century. Above it you can see a ship model that is a very typical feature of seashore churches. Ship captains used to hang the models in the church before going to the sea for God to protect them from storms and again when they returned to shore to thank God for their happy return after the voyage.
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