St. The church is one of the most important monuments of medieval architecture in Latvia, containing valuable monuments of art – medieval tombstones, an altarpiece by the painter Kārlis Kristian Fogels – Fogelstein, a pulpit made in 1739, an organ by the European artist Fridrihs Ladegast, and others.
During church opening hours, you can climb the church tower, where you can see the church bell and clockwork on the way, as well as the small exhibition hall built into the tower, where one of the paintings “comes to life” when it meets its guests. The tower’s observation deck offers a spectacular view of the city and the Gauja River, and if the sky is clear, you can even see the Blue Mountains. If climbing the high towers still doesn’t tempt you, you can watch the panorama from an interactive screen in the church hall, which broadcasts live from the tower.
The church was built in 1283 and has preserved almost all of its medieval appearance to the present day.
Since the church was consecrated and the foundation stone laid on 28 October, Simon’s Day, it is named after this disciple of Christ.
As a reminder of the Livonian War, two stone bullets were embedded in the north wall of the church and shattered the church. At the entrance to the church, there is a fragment of a chain from the pillory, where people who disobeyed the laws of the time were punished until the early 19th century.
- In 1917, the St. Jānis Neilands (1840-1915), the first Latvian, became the parish priest of St. Simon’s Church.
The church is one of the stops on the
Camino Latvia route Strenči – Valmiera, where you can receive both healing and a stamp in your pilgrim’s passport
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Stories about St.
http://visit.valmiera.lv/lv/iepazisti/audiogids/
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TORNIS VISIT TICKET PRICES:
- Adults 2,50 EUR
- Pupils, students and pensioners 0,50 EUR
- Family ticket 5 EUR (2 adults and children)
Valmiera Municipality Tourism Board photo archive