The Grebenshchikov House of Prayer on Mazā Krasta iela is the centre of a Riga Old Believer community. Its tower and adjoining buildings speak of worship, social care and a religious tradition preserved through changing political conditions.
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The bell tower of the Grebenshchikov House of Prayer rises above a complex that served more than one purpose. At Mazā Krasta iela 73, worship, learning and care for vulnerable people have belonged to the history of the same community. The site is a way into the story of Riga’s Old Believers, whose traditions developed after a seventeenth-century split in the Russian Orthodox Church over changes to religious rites.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The community follows the priestless Pomorian Old Believer tradition.
- The bell tower was built in 1906 after the 1905 decree on religious tolerance.
- The complex historically included an almshouse as well as the prayer house.
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