370,000 euros will be requested from contingency funds for the restoration of St. James Cathedral in Riga

Next year, St. James Cathedral of Riga will celebrate its 800th anniversary. The restoration works of the cathedral have been going on since the spring of 2017. At the session of the Saeima commission, Archbishop of Riga Metropolitan Zbigņevs Stankevičs thanked for the financial support received so far, thanks to which the facade, stained-glass windows and altar room have been restored, the roof of the sacristy has been changed, and other works have been carried out. However, to completely restore the ancient church, 370,000 euros are needed this year and another 0.5 million euros next year. Stankevičs called for funding, as restoration works are becoming more expensive every year. The sooner the restoration is completed, the cheaper it will cost, explained the archbishop.

Also, the Rēzekne-Aglona diocese, which needs to insulate the pilgrim communication building in Aglona, ​​Broka street 8, has asked the Saeima for financial support.

The deputies agreed that they will write a letter to the government, the Ministry of Culture and Justice, asking for funding from contingency funds for the restoration of the St. James Cathedral and the insulation of the pilgrims’ communication building in Aglona.

As Baiba Brice, deputy head of the Administrative Department of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, informed the deputies, projects worth 5 million euros are applied for the Sacred Heritage Financing Program every year, although the available funding is only one million euros, which is distributed to approximately 23 to 25 objects.