About the Church
The Church of St Meinhard in Liepāja is a modern house of prayer of unusual origin, dedicated in honour of St Meinhard, the Apostle of Livonia.
The building was originally erected in Hanover, Germany, as the Vatican Pavilion for the EXPO 2000 world exhibition. When the exhibition ended, the Vatican donated it to the Diocese of Liepāja; funded by German Catholics, the pavilion was dismantled, transported to Liepāja and reassembled there. In 2001 Bishop Vilhelms Lapelis consecrated it in the name of St Meinhard.
It is a modern-style church of timber and metal construction. In 2004 Pope John Paul II presented the parish with a bell, and in 2008 a bell tower was built and blessed. The church serves the local Catholic community and bears witness to Liepāja's ties with the universal Church.
The building was originally erected in Hanover, Germany, as the Vatican Pavilion for the EXPO 2000 world exhibition. When the exhibition ended, the Vatican donated it to the Diocese of Liepāja; funded by German Catholics, the pavilion was dismantled, transported to Liepāja and reassembled there. In 2001 Bishop Vilhelms Lapelis consecrated it in the name of St Meinhard.
It is a modern-style church of timber and metal construction. In 2004 Pope John Paul II presented the parish with a bell, and in 2008 a bell tower was built and blessed. The church serves the local Catholic community and bears witness to Liepāja's ties with the universal Church.