The Orthodox Church in Latvia from X to XX cnt.
The history of the Russian people is allied to the history of the Orthodox Church. The first records of the Orthodox religion in Latvia date back to the tenth century. The famous route ‘from the Varangians to the Greeks’ ran along the Daugava river (the Western Dvina). This was not only a trade route but a road that spread of Christianity. In the eastern regions of present day Latvia Christianity came from the neighbouring lands of Ancient Rus: from Polotsk, Pskov and Novgorod. Data from archaeological excavations as well as written sources bear witness to the presence of Orthodox Christianity on the territory of Latvia before the invasion of the crusaders. There are no historical facts to prove that the spread of the Orthodox faith was violent in character during those times. >>
The Archbishop Johann
Johann Pommer (Jānis Pommers) (1876-1934) was born in the Prauliena district in a peasant family of Orthodox Latvians. In 1897 he graduated from the Riga Theological College and in 1904 the Kiev Theological Academy. He became a monk in 1903. In 1907 Johann Pommer was appointed rector of the Lithuanian Theological College and Senior Priest of the Monastery of Holy Trinity (Vilnius). In 1911 he became the youngest bishop in Russia. In 1912 Pommer was charged with the authority of the Minsk eparchy (diocese) and in 1915 that of Taganrog. >>
Russian Orthodoxy in Latvia from the Post-war Period to the Present-Day
After Latvia became part of the USSR the Latvian Orthodox Church was returned to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchy of Moscow. Church life entered an uneasy period of fighting for survival in an atheist state. Churches were closed and destroyed. Many clergymen suffered repressions. Part of the congregation abandoned the church, fearing persecution. But even in these difficult circumstances the Orthodox Church continued to bring the light of faith to the people. >>
