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RIGA DOME CATHEDRAL OVER CENTURIES AND PARADIGM SHIFTS IN ITS RECONSTRUCTION (Rigas Doms gadsimtu gaita un paradigmas mainas rekonstrukcija)

100%

Grosmane E.

Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei

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2008

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vol. 7

9-30

EN

The retrospective element typical of the 19th century art is directly related not just to the tendencies of artistic development but to historical heritage of culture as well. The largest and most prominent Baltic medieval monument - Riga Dome complex - was influenced by this aspect. This article aims to follow the processes from the reconstruction that started in the 1880s till 12 May 1909 when the Dome Construction Department of the Riga History and Antiquities Research Society announced the completion of the Dome Cathedral and Monastery reconstruction. The question how the magnificent ensemble, an integral part of the city panorama, was constructed and changed over time remains topical. To what an extent the Protestant pragmatism and recurrent retrospective tendency had fostered the preservation of the Dome's medieval overall image and how did various epochs bring in their own stylistic transformations are the aspects under scrutiny. First one has to return to ancient times: on 25 July 1211, St. James' Day, there was a festive ceremony during which the Bishop Albert (c. 1165-1229) laid the foundation stone of an ambitious project. In the 13th century the Cathedral and the adjoining Monastery were completed, becoming the largest medieval complex in the Baltic region. Of course, some additions were brought by the following centuries, but the imposing architectonic structure, noted as an outstanding example of transition from the Romanesque to the early Gothic style, has survived till our days. The first building material of Riga Dome Cathedral was limestone blocks, but it was completed using red brick and should be included in the area of Central European Brick Gothic.

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THE ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE OF THE RIGA DOME CATHEDRAL IN THE 13TH CENTURY: CONTACTS AND INFLUENCES (Rigas Doma arhitektura un buvplastika 13. gadsimta. Kontakti un ietekmes)

88%

Grosmane E.

Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei

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2000

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vol. 1

7-22

EN

The cornerstone for the Riga Dome Cathedral was laid on July 25, 1211, and the construction project was completed in the second half of the 13th century. This topic has been discussed endlessly over the last century and more, but the subject has not yet been exhausted, and researchers continue to focus on it. The initial stimulus for construction of the Dome came from the ambitions of the German Bishop Albert in terms of Baltic expansion. The building of a grand cathedral was part of the process. The cathedral was originally intended as a pillar basilica modeled after the Dome Cathedral of Brunswick that was put up by Henry the Lion and served as a paradigm for the building of Northern German cathedrals at that time - especially the Dome at Ratzeburg, which is the oldest surviving sample of brick-based architecture in the region. Like that structure, the Riga Dome was at first built of stone blocks, but in the 1220s the builders turned to the new material of the brick not changing, however, the plan of the building. At the same time construction of a cloister was also begun. It is assumed that when Albert died in 1229 the project was not complete. The construction plans of that particular period are best reflected in the structural clarity of the geometric elements that are found in the eastern part of the church, testifying to a gradual shift in style from the Romanesque to the Gothic. We have little information about construction work during the reign of the next bishop, Nicolaus. It is presumed that the work did not stop, but continued along on the basis of inertia. A new intensity in the process appeared when the first archbishop, Albert Suerbeer, arrived in Riga. He came from the ranks of Pope Innocent IV, and it may be that his contacts with the upper reaches of the Catholic Church served as an impetus for moving away from the already old-fashioned style of pillar basilicas in favor of a hall-type building. Once the work became more active again, influences from the Rhineland and Westphalia appeared in parts of the building, thus causing the myth of a master craftsman from Cologne traveling to Riga to provide the necessary brilliance to the grandiose construction. Later research into Medieval architecture and art in the Rhine region have brought greater precision to descriptions of master artists in that period, defining the 'master of Samson' and the 'master Ezzo Erenfried', for example. Against this background, the idea of a 'Cologne master' in Riga seems far too abstract and unspecific. A detailed analysis of the Riga Dome sculpture shows that elements from the 13th century can be perceived as a homogeneous phenomenon - the ensemble of the Dome is imbued with a cross of various elements and influences.

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THE NORTHERN PORTAL OF RIGA DOME CATHEDRAL (Rigas Doma ziemelu portals)

75%

Bergholde A.

Makslas Vesture un Teorija

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2008

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vol. 11

5-14

EN

The article examines the northern portal of Riga Dome Cathedral, a significant monument of late Romanesque sculpture in the Baltic region. Medieval plastic decor is found in the interior, former monastery complex, cloister and chapter house. There are about 300 decorated capitals and consoles, large part dating back to 13th century, including the northern portal. Art historians have taken up medieval plastic decorations of Riga Dome Cathedral since the late 19th century, but no separate research of the northern portal has been carried out. The article discusses several stylistic analogies, such as St. Mary's Church in Visby, St. John's Church in Haapsalu, Dome Church in Lubeck, Dome Church in Limburg, etc.

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2 Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei

1 Makslas Vesture un Teorija

2 Grosmane E.

1 Bergholde A.

2 2008

1 2000

RIGA DOME CATHEDRAL OVER CENTURIES AND PARADIGM SHIFTS IN ITS RECONSTRUCTION (Rigas Doms gadsimtu gaita un paradigmas mainas rekonstrukcija)

THE ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE OF THE RIGA DOME CATHEDRAL IN THE 13TH CENTURY: CONTACTS AND INFLUENCES (Rigas Doma arhitektura un buvplastika 13. gadsimta. Kontakti un ietekmes)

THE NORTHERN PORTAL OF RIGA DOME CATHEDRAL (Rigas Doma ziemelu portals)