Religion in Latvia Today
Religion in Latvia, huh... Well, to begin the topic, I have to mention the fact, that Latvia has no official religion whatsoever. Most of our population is Lutheran, although Catholicism prevails in the east. The Latvian Orthodox Church is the third largest Christian church in Latvia, with an overwhelming majority of the members being Russian-speaking Soviet-era immigrants and their descendants. In addition, a large portion of Latvians claim to practice no religion. There is a very small Jewish minority as well, even though much depleted within the last century - Latvian Jews were victims of the Nazi holocaust during World War II. In general it is believed that Latvian society is tolerant of different religions and open to new religious ideas. |
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Aglona Basilica
Aglona is the site of the most important religious shrine in Latvia, the basilica of Our Lady of Aglona. It is located in Latgale, the eastern part of Latvia, which historically has been a Catholic stronghold of Latvia. For more than three hundred years the Aglona church has been a traditional place of pilgrimage for Latvian Catholics. Pilgrims gather there for major church holy days throughout the year, particularly Pentecost and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15. It is particularly the Feast of the Assumption, the feast of the Aglona shrine itself, that has become the most popular time of pilgrimage in Latvia. |
In 1980 Aglona Basilica celebrated its 200th anniversary and was officially given the status of a basilica by Pope John Paul II. In 1986 it was the site of celebration of the 800th anniversary of Christianity in Latvia. A major renovation of the basilica and expansion of the church grounds was begun in 1992 in preparation for the pope's visit. In September 1993 Pope John Paul II visited the Shrine and over 300,000 pilgrims assembled at this time.
For more information visit Latgale Research Center's home page
History of Religion in Latvia
If we talk about the history, it's necessary to mention, that Latvia was one of the last regions in Europe to be Christianized. The inhabitants of the region that is now Latvia once practiced Baltic paganism, but this practice gradually diminished through the history.
In the 12th to 13th centuries Latvia first fell under the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, as the Christian kings of Denmark, Sweden and the North German Livonian and Teutonic military orders fought for influence in the region in what later became known as the Northern Crusades.
Parts of Eastern Latvia (notably the Koknese and Jersika principalities) shortly came under the influence of the already assimilated Viking rulers of the Rurik dynasty, accepting Orthodox Christianity already in the 12th century. After succumbing to the Livonian Order in the 13th century, the influence of the Orthodox Church faded away until the 19th century.
Despite the Christianization, the local populace in the countryside maintained their faith for several centuries, with pockets of paganism surviving in Latvia up until the 17th century. Along with the rest of the traditional holidays, Christmas (Ziemassvētki) and Easter (Lieldienas) in Latvia still largely retain their pagan roots.
During the Protestant Reformation the teachings of Lutheranism from northern Germany and Scandinavia completely changed the religious landscape in the country, and eventually only Latgale remained Catholic due to the influence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Both due to the policy of atheism during the Soviet era and the general European trend of secularization a growing percentage of Latvians claim to follow no religion
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