Page 30 - LOTN Autumn Issue 48 2021

FAITH AND CULTURE

Oot an Aboot

with Ron Smith

The last Barbarians

of Europe!

atvia is a fascinating small country on the Baltic.
It has a population of 2,036,000 people, of whom
742,000 live in Riga. Officially the population
Ldensity is thirty-one people per square kilometre;
the UK has 262, and Belgium 366! Over half the land
surface is trees. Scotland has old trade links with Latvia,
the Baltic timber trade going back centuries, and it is St James's Cathedral
still a major industry in Latvia today. Around 1775 the church once again became Lutheran.
For some reason, Latvia was very slow in being There was another brief regime change when Napoleon
Christianised. Right up to the end of the 12th Century, Latvia marched through, using St James's as a food store in
was ruled by five heathen tribes. Attempts by Catholic 1812. After this, it once again reverted to Lutheranism.
Danes and Orthodox Christians from the east to bring This remained the situation until the First World War when
Christianity had made no impact. Latvia was probably the the Northern Front, between Germany and Russia, was
last country in Europe to be barbarian! About the year 1200, positioned right through the centre of Latvia. This caused
a military campaign, which was even granted the stature of untold devastation to the country.
a crusade, and was led by an order of knights called “The In 1918 Latvia was declared to be an independent state
Order of the Sword Knights” was launched by the Bishop – but the Russians (by now Communist) decided to ignore
of Livonia, who established his bishopric in Livonia in 1186. this, so the Latvians fought the Russians for two years, finally
The bishopric was transferred to Riga in 1202, when Riga winning their freedom in 1920. Although the Catholic see
was officially established as the capital city. was re-established in 1918, it was not until 1923 that it was
Although now nominally Christian, not all the country elevated to an archbishopric, after the1922 concordat with
accepted this situation. It was not until 1237 that most Rome was signed.
of the country was conquered, and the last tribe, the In 1924 the first Latvian parliament returned St James's
Semigallians, only finally submitted in 1290! to the Catholic church once again. The new-found
In Riga, St James's Cathedral was built and dedicated independence of the Latvian people brought about a short
in 1225. It was finally completed in 1330. It became an period of rapid development and then came the Second
archbishopric in 1255. Latvia settled down to being a World War. Once again they became the front line between
Catholic country, until Martin Luther broke from the Catholic Germany and Russia, and once again vast destruction took
Church with the “Diet of Worms” in 1521. This evangelical place and a great many of the people, especially Jews,
doctrine spread rapidly to Latvia and St James's was taken disappeared.
over by a Lutheran congregation in the same year. In 1945 the Russians were once again masters of Latvia
The history of Latvia is punctuated by a great many and there was great repression. The secret police, the NKVD,
invasions. In 1582 the neighbouring Poles invaded, and were extremely hard on Catholic priests. Nevertheless, as
King Stephan Bathory promptly gave St James's to the long as parishes remained strongly dedicated to keeping
Jesuits, so it became Catholic again. This did not last very their faith and not getting involved with resistance activities,
long, as in 1621 the Swedes invaded, and King Gustav ll churches were allowed to remain open. St James's was one
Adolf gave the church back to the Lutherans and made of them.
it the Swedish garrison church. This lasted one hundred It was not until 1991 that Latvia was finally freed from
years until the Russians invaded in 1721 and their General, Russian control and once again became a free, independent
Shuvalow turned it into their Orthodox garrison church. nation. Since then, it has flourished. It is now a member

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