St. James's Cathedral, or the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, (Latvian: Svētā Jēkaba katedrāle, German: Jakobskirche) is the Roman Catholic cathedral of Riga in Latvia. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint James the Greater. The building is part of the Old Riga UNESCO World Heritage Site and lies directly opposite the House of the Livonian Noble Corporation, the meeting place of Latvia's parliament the Saeima.
The church is sometimes misleadingly called St. Jacob's. The confusion arises because English, unlike almost every other language, uses different names for the Old Testament name Jacob and the New Testament name James.
History
The church building was dedicated in 1225. It was not originally a cathedral since the Rīgas Doms served that function. At the beginning of the 15th century the Holy Cross Chapel was built at the south end of the early Gothic church, and part of the church was transformed into a basilica.
In 1522 during the Protestant Reformation the building became the second German language Lutheran church in Riga. In 1523 it became the first Latvian language Lutheran church there.
In 1582 it was given to the Jesuits as part of the Counter-Reformation when Stephen Báthory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth gained control of Riga. In 1621 it was given back to the Lutherans after Gustav II Adolf of Sweden occupied Riga. At various times it served as a Swedish language, German language, or Estonian language Lutheran church. In 1812 it was used as a food storehouse by Napoleon's troops.
In 1901 the oldest Baroque altar in Riga from 1680 was replaced by a new one. Following a referendum in 1923, the building was given back to the Catholics for use as their cathedral since the Rīgas Doms was now an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral.
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Riga St Jacob's Cathedral is the smallest one among the four Old Town churches; however, its belfry has best maintained the features characteristic to Medieval Riga churches. From the very beginning up to the Reformation period, the building belonged to the Roman Catholic Church and was the centre of Latvian spiritual life. Later (1523–1582), it became the first church in Riga to house Latvian Lutheran congregation.
The construction of Riga St. Jacob's Cathedral, initially designed in early Gothic style, started in 1225 and was finished around 1330. Over many centuries, the building changed landlords and has undergone various transformations. In 1522, the sermons delivered in St Jacob's Cathedral and St Peter's Church marked the beginning of the Reformation period in Riga, and soon the church was taken over by Lutherans.
In 1582, when Riga was under Polish rule, King of Poland Stephen Bathory gave the building back to the Catholics and some time later to the Jesuit Order. In 1621 Riga was taken over by the Kingdom of Sweden, and St Jacob's Cathedral was returned to the Lutherans, but in 1710 the church fell along with the city under the rule of the Russian Empire. In 1812, during the Napoleonic Wars, the edifice was used as a warehouse for food supplies; and since 1923 the Cathedral again belongs to the Roman Catholic Church.
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