Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Skaistkalne
En Skiphillto the south of Latvia next to the Lithuanian border, the sanctuary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, second place of Marian pilgrimage from the country after Aglona. The imposing baroque church of stone, with two towers, was finished in 1692 by the Jesuits and today it is governed by the Pauline parents (Order of St. Paul First Ermit). On its side altar, it venerates Our Lady, Protector of the Latvian families.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- The first wooden church was raised in 1658 by a vote of the noble Johan von Berg- Karmel after a miraculous healing of the sight; since 1660 it was attended by the Jesuits, who in 1677 consecrated their monastery.
- The current early Italian Baroque stone church ended in 1692: the date is carved on the central door next to the Jesuit motto AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM.
- It was the first temple of two cathedral-style towers in Latvia and, until the 18th century, the country's largest Catholic church; today it is a national architectural monument.
- In 1929, the Capuchin, who arrived from Bavaria, took over the parish - the first Capuchin establishment in Latvia -; expelled in 1949 by the Soviet occupation, gave way to diocesan priests.
- Since August 31, 2001, the sanctuary and its monastery have been governed by the Order of St. Paul First Ermitage (parents Paulines, OSPPE), the same order as Jasna Gira in Poland.
- On the side altar the icon of Our Lady, Protector of the Latvian families, is venerated; the great annual feast is held on the first Sunday of August, with prayers for the sick, the marriages and the families, and since 2021 the church is part of the Santiago Road in Latvia.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Skaistkalne, in the Zemgale region, is a Marian remnant of southern Latvia. His church of the Assumption, Jesuit in origin and today in the hands of the Pauline parents, attracts pilgrims who entrust their families to the Virgin. Second Marian shrine of the country after Aglona, unites the Baltic Baroque sobriety with a tender devotion to the Mother, Protector of Latvian homes.
The Blessed Virgin of the Assumption, the Protector of the families, welcomes all those who pilgrim to Skaistkalne and keeps our homes under your maternal protection.
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