Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Riga
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Riga is an archdiocese administered from the capital city of Riga
in Latvia
. It's cathedral is Svētā Jēkaba Katedrāle. It is a metropolitan archdiocese which also helps to administer three suffragan dioceses
in the Ecclesiastical province
of Riga in Latvia.
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. It's cathedral is Svētā Jēkaba Katedrāle. It is a metropolitan archdiocese which also helps to administer three suffragan dioceses
Suffragan Diocese
A suffragan diocese is a diocese in the Catholic Church that is overseen not only by its own diocesan bishop but also by a metropolitan bishop. The metropolitan is always an archbishop who governs his own archdiocese...
in the Ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Riga in Latvia.
History
- 1186: Established as Diocese of ÜxküllIkškileIkšķile is a town in Latvia, the administrative centre of Ikšķile municipality. It was the first capital of the catholic bishopric of Livonia, known by the German name of Üxküll. Saint Meinhard, known from the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, was the first bishop of Üxküll. In 1197 Berthold of...
- 1 October 1188: Designated a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hamburg-BremenArchbishopric of BremenThe Archdiocese of Bremen was a historical Roman Catholic diocese and formed from 1180 to 1648 an ecclesiastical state , named Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen within the Holy Roman Empire...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - 1202: Renamed as Diocese of Riga
- 20 January 1255: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Riga
- 1561: Suppressed
- 22 September 1918: Restored as Diocese of Riga from territory of VidzemeVidzemeVidzeme is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. Literally meaning "the Middle Land" it is situated in north-central Latvia north of the Daugava River...
, LatgaleLatgaleLatgale is one of the four historical and cultural regions of Latvia recognised in the Constitution of the Latvian Republic. It is the easternmost region north of the Daugava River...
, and EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... - 9 June 1920: Added territory of CourlandCourlandCourland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
and Zemgale from Diocese of SamogitiaRoman Catholic Archdiocese of KaunasThe Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kaunas is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Lithuania. It is based in Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. It was established as the Diocese of Samogitia in 1417 with a seat in Medininkai according to... - 25 October 1923: Promoted as Archdiocese of Riga
- 1 November 1924: Lost territory to new Apostolic AdministrationApostolic AdministratorAn apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
of EstoniaRoman Catholicism in EstoniaThe Catholic Church in Estonia is the national branch of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.-The History of Catholicism in Estonia:... - 8 May 1937: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Riga; lost territory to new Diocese of Liepāja
- 2 December 1995: Lost territory to new Diocese of Rēzekne–AglonaRoman Catholic Diocese of Rezekne-AglonaThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Rēzekne–Aglona is a diocese located in the cities of Rēzekne and Aglona in the Ecclesiastical province of Riga in Latvia.-History:* 2 December 1995: Established as Diocese of Rēzekne–Aglona from Metropolitan Archdiocese of Riga...
Leadership
- BishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s of Riga (Roman rite)- Eduard O’RourkeEdward O'RourkeEdward O'Rourke, full name Eduard Alexander Ladislaus Graf O'Rourke was a Roman Catholic priest, bishop of Riga and the first head of the bishopric of the Free City of Danzig .-Early life:...
(29 Sep 1918 - 10 Apr 1920) - Antonijs Springovičs (14 Apr 1920 - 25 Oct 1923)
- Eduard O’Rourke
- Titular BishopTitular bishopA titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
s and Apostolic AdministratorApostolic AdministratorAn apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
s of Riga- Pēteris Strods (1 Oct 1958 – 5 Aug 1960)
- Julijans Cardinal VaivodsJulijans VaivodsJulijans Vaivods was the Apostolic Administrator of Riga and of Liepāja from 10 November 1964 to his death, and Cardinal Priest of Santi Quattro Coronati from 1983 to his death...
(10 Nov 1964 - 24 May 1990) - Jānis Cakuls (23 May 1990 - 8 May 1991)
- ArchbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
s of Riga- Antonijs Springovičs (25 Oct 1923 - 1 Oct 1958)
- Jānis Cardinal Pujats (8 May 1991 - 19 Jun 2010)
- Zbigņevs Stankevičs (19 Jun 2010 - )