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RIGA ST. JAMES' CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES (Rigas Sv. Jekaba baznica viduslaikos)

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Grosmane E.

Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei

2004

vol. 4

9-32

St. James' Church with its ancient red brick volume and high, pointed steeple has become an integral part of the Old Riga panorama. The history of the building is equally impressive and can be traced back to the first decades after the foundation of Riga. St. James' Church is known as the smallest brick basilica in Old Riga. The building's layout features cube-shaped choir with a sacristy at the Northern side, a nave with two aisles and a chapel by the southern wall. The church nave is shorter than aisles because it serves as a support for the tower at the Western side, growing out from the main volume of the building. The construction history of the church has a massive historiography. There is a deep-rooted opinion in the specialised literature that the church has been in is place since the first decades of the 13th century, although the definite year of its foundation is unknown. St. James' Church is mentioned for the first time on 5 April 1226. There is very little documentary evidence about the 13th - 15th century. Mostly it is mentioned as a topographical landmark, confirming its existence but giving little information on its construction history. Studying the building's history, one should take into account also modifications carried out in different periods, especially deliberate Gothic-style additions in the mid-19th century and late-19th century reconstruction. Then part of the medieval portal was recovered in the Northern facade, Romanesque-style paired windows were marked and interior was restored. Returning to the Middle Ages, firstly one should deal with the basic building material brick. It is presumed that brick has been widely used in Riga architecture since the 1220s, taking the Bishop's Cathedral as a paradigm. There is indeed a coincidence in brick size and brickwork technique between the Dome and St. James' Church: this could mean that a certain brick kiln has provided the material. Moreover, these are not the only similarities: one should note also the arcading frieze of aisles, cross-shaped supporting pillars and arcade between aisles.

SANDSTONE PIETA FROM THE RIGA ST. JAMES' CHURCH. ORIGINS, ICONOGRAPHY AND STYLE (Smilsakmens Pieta no Rigas Sv. Jekaba baznicas. Izcelsme, ikonografija un stils)

100%

Grosmane E.

Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei

2003

vol. 3

19-27

It is a surprising and unbelievable fact that the sandstone Pieta of so high artistic value that might feature in the permanent exposition of any museum of the world so far has gone unnoticed by both Latvian and foreign art historians. The sadly beautiful Virgin holding her son in her lap demonstrates God's final farewell to the earthly life. It is a common subject of medieval art that is distinguished by the unique quality of artistic execution. It stands out in comparison with the mean scope of medieval sculpture in the Eastern Baltic region and Latvia in particular; it is also the only stone example in the sculpture collection of the Latvian History Museum. Looking for origins of the figural group one has to stop at the Mater Dolorosa Church in Riga. A prospect drawn by Johann Christoph Brotze in 1791 depicts the choir apse of the church still oriented towards the Castle Square. There was a big open niche at the very centre of the apse where the brightly coloured Virgin, surrounded by a heavy falling cloth, was standing on a high pedestal with Christ in her lap. Outlines of the sculptural group clearly point to the Pieta from the Latvian History Museum. Following J. C. Brotze's suggestion one has to continue the search in the Riga St. James' Church. The heightened religious feelings favoured building of a chapel in this church in 1404. The sandstone Pieta is dated by the same period. The artwork itself is not mentioned in written sources, so to detect the place of its origin which is the aim of this paper, one has to take up stylistic analysis. A detailed analysis proves that the Riga St. James' Church was decorated with a very subtle and emotionally charged work of art. Some concluding remarks: the origins of the sandstone Pieta are to be found not in the Mater Dolorosa Church but in the medieval St. James' Church. This work is an imported one because there are no similar pieces in the Eastern Baltic region, the group is quite small and a cavity at its back side might ease transportation. The work belongs to the Schoner Stil horizontal versions of Pieta that flourished in Central Europe around 1400 when several centres of origin coexisted in different areas.

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2 Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei

2 Grosmane E.

1 2004

1 2003

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RIGA ST. JAMES' CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES (Rigas Sv. Jekaba baznica viduslaikos)

SANDSTONE PIETA FROM THE RIGA ST. JAMES' CHURCH. ORIGINS, ICONOGRAPHY AND STYLE (Smilsakmens Pieta no Rigas Sv. Jekaba baznicas. Izcelsme, ikonografija un stils)