RIGA ST. JAMES CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES (Rigas Sv. Jekaba baznica viduslaikos)

St. James' Church with its ancient red brick volume and high, pointed steeple has become an integral part of the Old Riga panorama. The history of the building is equally impressive and can be traced back to the first decades after the foundation of Riga. St. James' Church is known as the smallest brick basilica in Old Riga. The building's layout features cube-shaped choir with a sacristy at the Northern side, a nave with two aisles and a chapel by the southern wall. The church nave is shorter than aisles because it serves as a support for the tower at the Western side, growing out from the main volume of the building. The construction history of the church has a massive historiography. There is a deep-rooted opinion in the specialised literature that the church has been in is place since the first decades of the 13th century, although the definite year of its foundation is unknown. St. James' Church is mentioned for the first time on 5 April 1226. There is very little documentary evidence about the 13th - 15th century. Mostly it is mentioned as a topographical landmark, confirming its existence but giving little information on its construction history. Studying the building's history, one should take into account also modifications carried out in different periods, especially deliberate Gothic-style additions in the mid-19th century and late-19th century reconstruction. Then part of the medieval portal was recovered in the Northern facade, Romanesque-style paired windows were marked and interior was restored. Returning to the Middle Ages, firstly one should deal with the basic building material brick. It is presumed that brick has been widely used in Riga architecture since the 1220s, taking the Bishop's Cathedral as a paradigm. There is indeed a coincidence in brick size and brickwork technique between the Dome and St. James' Church: this could mean that a certain brick kiln has provided the material. Moreover, these are not the only similarities: one should note also the arcading frieze of aisles, cross-shaped supporting pillars and arcade between aisles.