Archdiocese of Riga
Latin Catholic archdiocese in Latvia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Archdiocese of Riga, formerly the Diocese of Üxküll, is a Latin Catholic archdiocese with its seat in Riga, the capital city of Latvia.[1][2][3] Its cathedral is Svētā Jēkaba Katedrāle. It is a metropolitan archdiocese with the three suffragan dioceses, namely Jelgava, Liepāja, Rēzekne-Aglona which constitute the Ecclesiastical Province of Riga.
CountryLatvia
Area23,587 km2 (9,107 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
- (as of 2020)
- 1,182,100
- 207,560 (17.6%)
Archdiocese of Riga Archidioecesis Rigensis Rīgas arhidiecēze | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Country | Latvia |
| Ecclesiastical province | Riga |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 23,587 km2 (9,107 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Information | |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Cathedral | Svētā Jēkaba Katedrāle (Cathedral Basilica of St. James) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Zbigņevs Stankevičs |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Andris Kravalis |
| Bishops emeritus | Jānis Pujats (cardinal) Jānis Cakuls (auxiliary) |
| Map | |
 Location of Archdiocese of Riga in Latvia | |
History
- 1186: Established as Diocese of Üxküll
- 1 October 1188: Designated a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bremen[4]
- 1202: Renamed as Diocese of Riga
- 20 January 1255: Promoted as Archdiocese of Riga[5]
- 1561: Suppressed
- 1582-1798 : Part of the Diocese of Inflanty
- 22 September 1918: Restored as Diocese of Riga from the Archdiocese of Mohilev in the territory of Vidzeme, Latgale, and Estonia
- 9 June 1920: Added territory of Courland and Zemgale from Diocese of Samogitia[6]
- 25 October 1923: Promoted as Archdiocese of Riga[7]
- 1 November 1924: Lost territory to new Apostolic Administration of Estonia[8]
- 8 May 1937: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Riga;[9] lost territory to new Diocese of Liepāja[10]
- 2 December 1995: Lost territory to new Diocese of Rēzekne–Aglona[11]
Bishops, Apostolic Administrators and Archbishops of Riga
| Bishopric of Livonia (Bishopric of Üxküll) 1186–1255 | |
|---|---|
| 1186–1196 | Saint Meinhard |
| 1196–1198 | Berthold of Hanover |
| 1199–1202 | Albert of Riga |
| Bishopric of Riga 1202–1255 | |
| 1202–1229 | Albert of Riga |
| 1229–1253 | Nikolaus von Nauen |
| 1245–1255 | Albert Suerbeer |
| Archbishopric of Riga 1255–1561 | |
| 1255–1273 | Albert Suerbeer |
| 1273–1284 | Johannes I of Lune |
| 1285–1294 | Johannes II of Vechten |
| 1294–1300 | Johannes III of Schwerin |
| 1300–1302 | Isarnus Tacconi of Fontiès-d'Aude |
| 1303–1310 | Jens Grand titular, never came to Riga |
| 1304–1341 | Friedrich von Pernstein |
| 1341–1347 | Engelbert von Dolen |
| 1348–1369 | Bromhold von Vyffhusen |
| 1370–1374 | Siegfried Blomberg |
| 1374–1393 | Johannes IV von Sinten |
| 1393–1418 | Johannes V von Wallenrodt |
| 1418–1424 | Johannes VI Ambundi[12] |
| 1424–1448 | Henning Scharpenberg |
| 1448–1479 | Silvester Stodewescher |
| 1479–1484 | Sede vacante |
| 1484–1509 | Michael Hildebrand |
| 1509–1524 | Jasper Linde[13] |
| 1524–1527 | Johannes VII Blankenfeld[14] |
| 1528–1539 | Thomas Schöning |
| 1539–1563 | Wilhelm von Brandenburg |
Later suppressed[2]
Diocese of Riga
Erected: 22 September 1918[3]
- Bishop Eduard O’Rourke (29 Sep 1918 – 10 Apr 1920)
- Bishop Antonijs Springovičs (14 Apr 1920 – 25 Oct 1923) (As Bishop of Riga)
Archdiocese of Riga
Elevated: 25 October 1923[3]
- Archbishop Antonijs Springovičs (25 Oct 1923 – 1 Oct 1958) (As Archbishop of Riga)
- Bishop Pēteris Strods (1 Oct 1958 – 5 Aug 1960) (Apostolic Administrator)
- Cardinal Julijans Vaivods (10 Nov 1964 – 24 May 1990) (Apostolic Administrator)
- Bishop John IV Cakuls (23 May 1990 – 8 May 1991) (Apostolic Administrator)
- Cardinal John V Pujats (8 May 1991 – 19 Jun 2010)
- Archbishop Zbigņevs Stankevičs (19 Jun 2010 – )