About the Church
The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Kandava stands in the town of Kandava, in the Tukums municipality, beside the picturesque Abava valley. It stands out for the unusual story of how it came to be.
The Catholic community of Kandava has existed since 1938. In 1998, with the support of the German St Boniface Society, an old 18th-century dwelling house — a protected architectural monument — was acquired and converted into a church. It is believed that the church was fitted out entirely by the parishioners themselves, without pay, most of them pensioners; for this it is considered the only case of its kind in Latvia. The doors of the church opened in 2003.
Inside is kept an altar more than a century old with two paintings, among them a copy of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Mexico, as well as stained-glass windows and donated works of art. Since 2006 a modern bell tower with a spiral staircase has stood beside it, offering a view of the old town of Kandava.
The Catholic community of Kandava has existed since 1938. In 1998, with the support of the German St Boniface Society, an old 18th-century dwelling house — a protected architectural monument — was acquired and converted into a church. It is believed that the church was fitted out entirely by the parishioners themselves, without pay, most of them pensioners; for this it is considered the only case of its kind in Latvia. The doors of the church opened in 2003.
Inside is kept an altar more than a century old with two paintings, among them a copy of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Mexico, as well as stained-glass windows and donated works of art. Since 2006 a modern bell tower with a spiral staircase has stood beside it, offering a view of the old town of Kandava.