Conservation of historic “Swedish Church” ruins completed in Allaži Manor

Conservation work has been completed at the cultural heritage monument “Swedish Church with a Medieval Cemetery” in Allaži Manor, in Sigulda Municipality, Latvia. Locals also call the building the magazine. The aim was to halt the decay of the old walls and preserve this historical relic for future generations, according to Sigulda Municipality.

What was done

To make the structure stable again, the foundations were reinforced and a special retaining wall was built. The corners and the window and door openings were rebuilt and strengthened, and a steel tie system now holds the building's frame. New roof structures with clay tile covering were installed to protect the masonry walls and gables. The surroundings were also tidied: bushes and self-seeded trees, whose roots and moisture posed a long-term threat to the stone walls, were cut down.

The work ran from 14 May to 21 August 2026. The contractor was SIA “A6”, with a contract price of 50,814.02 euros excluding VAT. Design and author supervision were provided by SIA “ARHITEKTONISKĀS IZPĒTES GRUPA”, and construction supervision by SIA “AIKE COM”.

Was it really a church?

The building stands where a medieval cemetery once lay, and where a wooden church stood in the 17th century; I. Ā. Ulrihs recorded it in a drawing in 1692. Architectural research indicates that the building seen today is most likely a magazine granary in the neo-Gothic style, built in the last quarter of the 19th century for the Allaži manor estate. Magazines stored grain reserves: after harvest, peasants handed in a set amount, and in need they could borrow grain for seed or food and repay it later with interest.

Architect Ilmārs Dirveiks has noted that the building lacks a church-like layout. It has two floors, visible beam sockets, small window openings and ventilation hatches, all more typical of a farm building. The cross on the gable is not sufficient proof of a sacred function, as crosses were also used as protective symbols.

20th-century fate

In the early 1920s, during the agrarian reform, the granary was allotted to a new farmstead. In 1923 it received a new roof and a ramp, and a cowshed was set up on the ground floor. In 1983 it was granted the status of an architectural monument of local significance; at the time it was described as bare walls without a roof.