Agafangel - Arch-Bishop of Riga and Mitava

Agafangel (1854-1928)– Orthodox Bishop of Riga and Mitava from 1897, Arch-Bishop of Riga and Mitava from 1904 to 1910.

Agafangel went down in history not only as a confessor but also as a promoter of the education and technology. He participated in the first trial of the electric tram around the streets of Riga. Bishop Agafangel provided the installation of electricity in the Cathedral of Jesus Christ. During the period Agafangel was head of the eparchy (diocese) of Riga 30 new church-parish schools were opened. During the Revolution of 1905 he appealed to the authorities to pardon the rebels. After the victory of the Bolsheviks in 1917 the Arch-Bishop spent several years in prison and lived in exile. In 2000 Agafangel was canonised as a martyr by the Congress of the Russian Orthodox Church.