St Gertrude Church


This gracious red-brick neo-Gothic church is dedicated to St Gertrude, the patron saint of travellers. Surrounded by flamboyant art nouveau architecture, its austere 19th-century interior is a stark counterpoint. St Gertrude's is also a musical venue. Its organ, built in 1906, is one of the city's best and classical-music concerts take place regularly.

Note the art nouveau gem at Ģertrūdes iela 10. Try to count the panoply of faces on the 1903 facade.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Corner House

0.1 MILES

A real-life house of horrors, this imposing fin de siècle building is remembered by generations of Latvians as the local headquarters of the notorious…

2. Jews in Latvia Museum

0.21 MILES

This small and rather informal space briefly recounts the city’s history of Jewish life until 1945 through artefacts and photography. Rīga’s Jewish…

3. Nativity of Christ Cathedral

0.34 MILES

Its polished gilded cupolas gleaming through the trees, this Byzantine-styled Orthodox cathedral (1883) adds a dazzling dash of Russian bling to the…

4. Latvian National Museum of Art

0.35 MILES

Latvia's main gallery, sitting on the edge of the Esplanāde's leafy grounds, is an impressive building that was purpose-built in a baroque-classical style…

5. Esplanāde

0.38 MILES

The expansive Esplanāde is a large park dotted with tall trees, wooden benches and open-air cafes. The Latvian National Museum of Art graces it on one…

6. Rainis Statue

0.42 MILES

One of the great Latvian writers, Rainis – his pen name – created works that called for independence and have become part of the Latvian identity. He died…

7. Alberta Iela

0.45 MILES

Like a huge painting that you can spend hours staring at, as your eye detects more and more intriguing details, this must-see Rīga sight is in fact a…

8. Vērmanes dārzs (Vērmanes Garden)

0.45 MILES

From Brīvības, pass the swirls of colour at the 24-hour flower market along Tērbatas iela to find the inviting Vērmanes dārzs. During the summer months,…