About the Church
The Church of St Michael the Archangel in Alsunga is one of the oldest and most important Catholic churches in Courland, standing in the centre of the town of Alsunga. It is one of three Catholic churches of the so-called Suiti (Suiti) region and belongs to the Suiti cultural space, which is included on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage.
The single-tower masonry church was built in the first half of the 17th century by the nobleman Janas Ulrichas Šverinas, who dedicated it to St Michael the Archangel. It was built at the meeting point of late Gothic and Baroque, and in the 19th century the church was extended sideways and took on its present cruciform shape.
The church is renowned for its artistic furnishings: inside can be seen works created around 1715 by the Dutch woodcarver Johan Mertens, while the organ was built in 1893. For centuries the church of Alsunga was the main place of Catholic worship for the Suiti, sustaining the faith and identity of this distinctive ethno-cultural region.
The single-tower masonry church was built in the first half of the 17th century by the nobleman Janas Ulrichas Šverinas, who dedicated it to St Michael the Archangel. It was built at the meeting point of late Gothic and Baroque, and in the 19th century the church was extended sideways and took on its present cruciform shape.
The church is renowned for its artistic furnishings: inside can be seen works created around 1715 by the Dutch woodcarver Johan Mertens, while the organ was built in 1893. For centuries the church of Alsunga was the main place of Catholic worship for the Suiti, sustaining the faith and identity of this distinctive ethno-cultural region.