The Kaltene Lutheran Church dates back to 1567, when Duke Gotthard Kettler of Courland ordered the construction of new churches in Kurzeme. One of them was in Kaltene, and was known as the Church of St Catherine. In 1848, a clay church was built in place of the old wooden church. A sacristy was added in 1880, and the church was rebuilt and expanded in 1896. It suffered much damage during World War I because a Russian mine ship attacked it. The church was restored during the first half of the 1920s.
The altar painting, “Christ and St Peter on the Sea” was painted in 1898 by M Pohl after a panting by R. Richter. The pulpit and organ date back to the 18th century and are cultural monuments of national importance. The organ was built by August Martin in 1843, and it was initially in a church in Gulbene. The instrument was brought to Kaltene in 1943 and is the oldest surviving instrument by Martin. The bell was manufactured in 2006 by the Liepājas Metalurgs company, and a new building for the congregation was built in 2012 and 2013. The first scenes of the feature film “Long Road to the Dunes” and the film “Forest of Bulrush” were filmed outside the gates of the church. Nearby is the Putniņi homestead. In 1921, Culture Minister Rainis visited the homestead. At that time there was a store there. The Germans burned down the homestead during World War II. (Source: Roja TIC)
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