Šodienas sakrālā arhitektūra: Latvijas baznīcu jaunbūves – konservatīva pasūtītāja izaicinājums

Abstract

World War (Grieze, etc.) or build new ones on the old ruins or near them (Džūkste, Ērgļi, Salaspils, etc.), as well as reopen the churches closed during the “Khrushchev thaw” (the largest number: Matīši, Riga Reformed, Rēzekne, Varakļāni, etc. In some cases, after the opening, the church was abandoned again (Lambarte). New congregations with newly built houses of worship are far and between (Antuļi, Ape, Kārķi, Aizkraukle, Ķurbe, Ķegums). In none of the aforementioned examples can we talk about an unconventional architectonic solution. Perhaps the partially abandoned Antuļi church hides the potential for reviving 70 years of architectural handwriting. On the other hand, the organization of Latvian Lutherans in exile can be proud of modern churches in the New World, but has almost no real estate in Latvia. The restoration of the magnanimously purchased Ilze church will definitely require the financial means that could be invested in larger centers. Latvian Orthodox and Old Believers (similar to Lutherans) are mostly involved in the restoration of churches abandoned in the 1960s, especially in the Orthodox diaspora of Vidzeme (Lēdurga, Nītaure), however, some vivid examples of a contemporary approach can be found. Metropolitan Alexander emphasized that Orthodox architecture purposefully follows traditional norms, but in some new buildings, unexpected corners are still found, for example, the proportions of the building and the dome in Iecava or Salaspils. In Riga, during the tenure of J. Pujats, 2 new churches were built, 1 was reconstructed and several chapels of women’s communities were also opened. 3 churches, whose construction commenced in pre-Soviet times, have been completed in Latgale. After the founding of the Latgale diocese (1995), 5 new unimpressive churches were built during the next bishop J. Bulis. In Vidzeme, some of the congregations founded before the war to serve Polish, Lithuanian and Latgalian agricultural workers, have been restored. For them, churches were also built in 20 parishes. In Zemgale and Kurzeme, bishops A. Justs and A. Ā. Brumanis implemented the restoration of closed congregations, and supplied them with churches, but on a smaller scale. According to the assessment of the president of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Ojārs Spārītis, the artistic quality of new Latvian church buildings is bordering on kitsch. According to him, the programmatic movement of church art towards cheaper Western church models is superficial and banal, literally and figuratively. However, it should be explained that the occurrence of low-quality architecture is determined by the haste of the customer, lack of European experience and limited financial means.