Riga Cathedral, the Doms, is the great brick church on Dome Square in Riga's Old Town, founded in 1211 and considered the largest medieval church in the Baltic states. Inside stands the organ built by E. F. Walcker in 1883–1884, which was described at the time as the largest and most modern in the world and still has 6,718 pipes.
Riga Cathedral at a glance
- Where: Doma laukums (Dome Square), in the middle of Riga's Old Town.
- Built: founded in 1211; rebuilt and extended over the following centuries, with the present Baroque tower dating from the 1770s.
- By: founded by Albert, Bishop of Riga; the organ is by the firm of E. F. Walcker & Co. of Ludwigsburg.
- What it is today: the cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia and one of the city's main concert venues, known for its organ concerts.
- Time needed: 45 minutes to 1 hour for the church and the cloister, more if you stay for a concert.
Eight centuries of rebuilding
Bishop Albert of Riga, who came from Lower Saxony and founded the city at the start of the 13th century, laid the foundation stone of the cathedral in 1211. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it was built over a long period, so you can find Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and even Art Nouveau elements in it. After a great fire in 1547 destroyed the Gothic spire, a new tower with a pyramid-shaped spire was finished by 1595. In 1775 part of it was taken down and replaced with the Baroque tower you see today. Between 1881 and 1914 a long restoration gave the church and its cloister their present look.
The 20th century was turbulent. After a referendum in 1923 the Lutheran congregation had to share the cathedral with the Catholic Church, and a second referendum in 1931 gave it back fully to the Lutherans. In the Soviet period worship was stopped, and between 1959 and 1962 the building was converted into a concert hall, with the altar removed and the seats turned towards the organ. In 1981–1984 the Dutch firm Flentrop restored the organ, and as Latvia regained its independence the cathedral returned to use as a church. More recent work replaced the copper roof of the nave in 2011 and renewed the tower in 2015.
What to look for
- The organ on the west wall: built by Walcker in 1883–1884 and inaugurated on 31 January 1884, with four manuals, 124 stops and 6,718 pipes, the longest more than 10 metres long.
- The organ case itself, which is much older than the instrument: its façade dates from 1601 and is one of the oldest surviving organ façades in Europe.
- The original 1595 weathercock from the old spire, now displayed in the cloister; the bird on top of the tower today is a replacement made during the 1980s restoration.
- The cloister, one of the oldest parts of the complex, with the statue of Bishop Albert on its south wall.
- The mix of styles from outside: the Romanesque and Gothic brickwork of the church and the curving Baroque top of the tower.
Liszt and the organ
When the new Walcker organ was inaugurated in 1884, Franz Liszt wrote a piece for the occasion: his setting of the chorale Nun danket alle Gott, which can be played on the organ alone or with choir and brass. The organ was one of the largest of its time, and the cathedral still makes full use of it: organ concerts are held here regularly, and hearing one is the best way to understand why the building is as famous for its sound as for its architecture.
Tips for your visit
- Check the programme for an organ concert: even a short lunchtime recital lets you hear the instrument fill the nave.
- Look up at the tower from the far side of Dome Square, where you can see the weathercock against the sky.
- It is a working church: keep quiet during services and dress respectfully.
Nearby
- Three Brothers: three neighbouring houses on Mazā Pils iela, the oldest dating from the 15th century, showing how Riga's homes changed over time.
- Riga Castle: the castle of the Livonian Order on the Daugava, today the official residence of the President of Latvia.
- House of the Blackheads: the richly decorated guild house on Town Hall Square, rebuilt after its destruction in the Second World War.
- Herder Square: a small square beside the cathedral with a monument to Johann Gottfried Herder, who taught at the cathedral school in the 1760s.
See Riga with World City Trail
Our Riga scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with about 40 minutes of walking. Riga Cathedral is not one of the stops, but the route includes the Freedom Monument, the Laima Clock and the Latvian National Museum of Art.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Riga.
Play the Riga scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Riga →
Play the outdoor escape game in Riga →
Facts checked in October 2026.