About the Church
The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Cross in Ventspils stands in the port city of Ventspils, on the Baltic Sea, in north-western Courland. The church belongs to the Liepāja Diocese and is dedicated to the Holy Cross.
The first wooden chapel in Ventspils was built in 1805 with funds from Bishop Kosakovskis. In the late 19th century, as the town grew rapidly, the present masonry church was built in 1898 on the initiative and with the funds of Father Pranciškus Lukšas of Kuldyga, and was blessed in November of that same year.
The church is built in Classicist forms, with elements of the Doric order; it is about 30 metres long and 13 metres wide. The plastered-masonry building is notable for its classical proportions. Today, Mass is celebrated daily in the Ventspils church in Latvian and Polish, a Sunday school operates, along with communities of the faithful, and the church is an important centre of Catholic life in the port city.
The first wooden chapel in Ventspils was built in 1805 with funds from Bishop Kosakovskis. In the late 19th century, as the town grew rapidly, the present masonry church was built in 1898 on the initiative and with the funds of Father Pranciškus Lukšas of Kuldyga, and was blessed in November of that same year.
The church is built in Classicist forms, with elements of the Doric order; it is about 30 metres long and 13 metres wide. The plastered-masonry building is notable for its classical proportions. Today, Mass is celebrated daily in the Ventspils church in Latvian and Polish, a Sunday school operates, along with communities of the faithful, and the church is an important centre of Catholic life in the port city.