This year, about a million euros have been allocated in the state budget for the program for the preservation of cultural heritage, including sacred ones.
Support from EU funds is also expected to attract 8.7 million euros to this area by 2027, of which at least 1.3 million euros will be state (municipal) co-financing. From this amount it is planned to allocate money for one object in each planning region. The project will also receive funding from the State Cultural Capital Fund and energy efficiency funds.
State funding allocated for the program of conservation and restoration of cultural monuments amounts to 550 thousand euros – these are mainly small projects with elements of reconstruction and research. Last year, 53 cultural objects received such funding, including 30 sacred ones. Almost the same amount was allocated this year for the preservation of sacred heritage (churches make up 4% of cultural monuments), although 7 million euros were requested – for a total of 92 objects.
As Roman Ganiņš, secretary of the supreme board of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, stated in the Saeima commission on education, culture and science, much more than half a million euros are expected from the program for the preservation of sacred heritage. At one point this figure reached a million, but has now fallen again. Until now, 24% of the needs were covered, now only 7%.
Jurgis Klotins (National Association) proposed that the Ministry of Culture allocate, if not 4 million euros per year, then at least 2 million, as basic expenses for this area. The Ministry agreed that the amount was too small to meet the requests, but it was not possible to increase it at the moment.
One of the largest sacred objects that requires significant investment is the Riga Dome Cathedral. Full-scale work will require 16.6 million euros, and the reconstruction will need to be completed within three years without interruption. Currently, only one-off funding of three million euros is available (it was redirected from contingency funds at the end of 2024), meaning the project will have to be divided into phases, said the head of the Dome community Kaspar Upitis. The most urgent work is strengthening the vaults and foundations. Lielstraupe Castle and the Straupe Lutheran Church in its complex also require major investments.
Source: www.gorod.lv
