About the Church
The Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Preiļi stands in the town of Preiļi, in Latgale, and is a parish church of the Diocese of Rēzekne–Aglona. It is regarded as one of the town's most important landmarks of architecture and spiritual life.
The history of a Catholic house of prayer on this site goes back to the 17th century – the first wooden church was built in 1676 with funds from the landowner Borch, and a second wooden church was raised in 1771–1772. When it had grown old, the present masonry church of fieldstone and red brick was built to a basilica plan in 1878–1886; it was consecrated on 27 June 1886 by Symon, auxiliary bishop of Mogilev, in honour of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The church was renovated in 1930–1936.
It is a three-aisled church with a single tower about 30 metres high, holding three bells; the building is 37 metres long and 24 metres wide. In the chancel stands an organ built by the Riga firm of Kolbe, with 1414 pipes, two manuals and 24 registers. The church has four altars, and preserves an 18th-century cross and a silver-covered image of the Mother of God.
The church in Preiļi still gathers the Catholic community of the town and surrounding area, and remains an important place of spiritual and cultural life in Latgale.
The history of a Catholic house of prayer on this site goes back to the 17th century – the first wooden church was built in 1676 with funds from the landowner Borch, and a second wooden church was raised in 1771–1772. When it had grown old, the present masonry church of fieldstone and red brick was built to a basilica plan in 1878–1886; it was consecrated on 27 June 1886 by Symon, auxiliary bishop of Mogilev, in honour of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The church was renovated in 1930–1936.
It is a three-aisled church with a single tower about 30 metres high, holding three bells; the building is 37 metres long and 24 metres wide. In the chancel stands an organ built by the Riga firm of Kolbe, with 1414 pipes, two manuals and 24 registers. The church has four altars, and preserves an 18th-century cross and a silver-covered image of the Mother of God.
The church in Preiļi still gathers the Catholic community of the town and surrounding area, and remains an important place of spiritual and cultural life in Latgale.