About the Church
St Mary Magdalene's Church in Riga (Rīgas Svētās Marijas Magdalēnas katoļu baznīca) stands in the Old Town of Riga, on Klostera Street, and is a state-protected architectural monument.
The first wooden church on this site was built around 1260 as the chapel of a Cistercian convent. It is thought that the funds for the masonry church were donated by the convent's abbess, Magdalena, and the church was named after her patron saint, Mary Magdalene.
Over the centuries the church suffered fires and changes of ownership, and it took on its present appearance in the mid-18th century, around 1746, when a tower was added and the interior was remodelled in the Baroque spirit. In 1922 the church was returned to the Catholics and thoroughly renovated.
St Mary Magdalene's Church is one of the oldest sacred sites in Riga. Services are held there in several languages, and the historic church remains important to the Catholic community of the Old Town.
The first wooden church on this site was built around 1260 as the chapel of a Cistercian convent. It is thought that the funds for the masonry church were donated by the convent's abbess, Magdalena, and the church was named after her patron saint, Mary Magdalene.
Over the centuries the church suffered fires and changes of ownership, and it took on its present appearance in the mid-18th century, around 1746, when a tower was added and the interior was remodelled in the Baroque spirit. In 1922 the church was returned to the Catholics and thoroughly renovated.
St Mary Magdalene's Church is one of the oldest sacred sites in Riga. Services are held there in several languages, and the historic church remains important to the Catholic community of the Old Town.