Turaida Church

[Manfred M]

I've tended to shoot the interiors of some of the more massive churches and cathedrals, but when visiting this small country church in the Turaida Museum Reserve in Sigulda, Latvia, I had a go at it here. This is apparently one of the oldest wooden churches in Latvia (built in 1750) and in the post-Soviet Union period is in use again.

1. Interior shot






2. The altar






3. The exterior - the church is located on top of a small hill and is behind a small stand of trees, so the best shot I got meant shooting straight at the sun with at a 24mm focal length. Lots of PP work to try to fix the flare and the issues related to back-lighting.

[LePetomane]

Manfred, thank you for taking us on the trip with you. I assume it is a Roman Catholic church. Beautifully done.

[Shadowman]

Nicely exposed and composed.

[Manfred M]

Manfred, thank you for taking us on the trip with you. I assume it is a Roman Catholic church. Beautifully done.

No, it is a Lutheran church. Of the three Baltic States, only Lithuania is predominantly Roman Catholic. Both Latvia and Estonia are predominantly Lutheran.

There are historical reasons for this. Estonia and Lithuania had deep roots with the Hanseatic League, which was based out of the northern German city of Lübeck. Northern Germany was Lutheran, so this drove the religious practices. When the Swedes conquered the area, they too were Lutheran.

Lithuania was more closely allied with the Roman Catholic Kingdom of Poland, so this where those links come from. Historically, the Lithuanians were the last pagans in Europe and did not adopt Christianity until the 1400s.

When Peter the Great of Russia conquered the Baltic States and incorporated them into the Russian Empire local religious practices continued, although a number of Orthodox Churches were built there. When the Orthodox Church was reformed in Russia in the mid-1600s, there was a schism and some of the "Old Believers" have churches in the Baltic States as well, but these are a very small number.

[LePetomane]

Manfred, thank you for the explanation.

[Wavelength]

Lovely images

[lovelife65]

Beautiful. Nice composition, colors and perfect interior exposure.