Orthodox Church of the Nativity of Christ in Līdēre
Once proud of its grandeur, the abandoned Orthodox church in Līdēre still reminds us of its remarkable architecture and energy. Please observe safety and caution in the vicinity of the building.
In the 1840s, there was a mass conversion of Vidzeme residents to Orthodoxy. The basis of the process was not religious, but economic considerations. There was a crop failure, rumors about the possibility of acquiring land in the south of Russia (for the Orthodox), etc. Orthodox congregations were formed independently of rural administrative territory boundaries. They included people who had chosen to convert to Orthodoxy from several surrounding territories.
It is known that the Līdēre Orthodox congregation officially existed from 1847. In 1995, during the Madona Museum expedition, the recorder M. Martinova's recollections mention that after the Second World War, the congregation significantly decreased in number, was unable to pay taxes and closed its activities around 1952 or 1953, remaining closed until the time of the Third Awakening. In the 1960s, there was a break-in and valuable church accessories were stolen.
The church was consecrated in 1878 by Bishop Seraphim of Riga and Jelgava. A school and a home for the disabled operated near the church. The congregation disappeared in the 1950s, but in the 1960s the church was broken into and looted.
