Ruins of Ikšķile Church on St. Meinard's Island Add an Object

Ikšķile is considered one of the oldest cities in the territory of Latvia. Ikšķile became the center of Livonia Bishopric in 1185.

The ruins of Ikšķile Church are the oldest masonry ruins in Latvia. The ruins are located on St. Meinard's Island, which is an artificially created island in the Riga Hydroelectric Power Plant reservoir. Ikšķile Church was built in 1185 under the leadership of Bishop Meinard, and later rebuilt in the 19th century, but it was demolished in 1916. Nowadays, the ruins are preserved, a roof has been built above them, and the island is reinforced. The church is included in the list of European cultural heritage as one of the best-preserved cultural monuments in Latvia.

To visit the ruins of the building, you can reach the island by boat, but during the lowering of the water level in the Riga Hydroelectric Power Plant reservoir, it is possible to walk on dry land to the church ruins along the former road, with old avenues of trees preserved on both sides.