Sabile Evangelical Lutheran Church
Every city has its own white house. Sabile has one too. You can see it from far away – a white, majestically stately church with a steeple named Sabile Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Wanting to replace the old wooden chapel, on September 28th 1567 the Duke of Courland Gotthard Kettler ordered to build a new church in Roman style, but without the steeple. The characteristic of churches in Courland is that the steeple is built later. This church had its steeple with a pyramid-shaped roof built more than 100 years later, in 1682. In 1876 the church obtained its majestic stateliness.
Sabile Evangelical Lutheran Church is special because of the church bell, which is the oldest molten bell in Latvia. It was molten in 1450 and is still being used during religious events. The deep and ringing sound of the bell can be heard far away across the ravines of Sabile.
The pulpit of Sabile Evangelical Lutheran Church is the oldest one in Latvia as well. It originated from 16th – 17th century. The pulpit has beautiful balusters: small and round columns, niches, masks, plaited ribbons, medallions, which are all motives of mannerism style in Renaissance.
There are Gothic style pews, precious silver candlesticks and four chandeliers in this church. Also, you can hear organs which were built in Dresden and transported to this church from Riga Church of Jesus in 1859.
The altar of the church has been built in Pseudo Empire style and has a painting named „Crucified Christ” by F. Wolf. This painting, two other paintings from sacristy and a bible was stolen during the night from January 18th to 19th 1984. In the summer of that same year craftsman and head of the parish of that time Alberts Bumbiers as well as a pastor named Zanis Branca made a big wooden cross to replace the stolen painting. When the painting was found in May 4th 1995, it was restored. All expenses were covered by the grandson of former Sabile parish pastor K. Glezers (he was a pastor in Sabile Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1910 to 1921).
There is a lantern above the main door of the church which lights up during the dark hours. This lantern was forged by metal artist Vilnis Leja and given to the church as a gift for its 740th anniversary.
Address: Ventspils iela 4/6, Sabile, Talsu novads
GPS: 57.046928,22.572040
Phone: +371 27841827 (Sabiles Tourist Information Center) or +371 29960452 (Māris Gross)
Facebook: Sabiles luterāņu draudze
