Bauska Lutheran Church of St. Spirit

The oldest remaining building in the part of Bauska Old Town is the Lutheran Church of Holy Spirit built a time ago for German congregation. It was built in 1591-1594 at the beginning without the tower but with nice facade plastering decorated by ornamental lines. Tower was additionally built in the Western end only in 1614 but in 1623 it obtained a nice conclusion with a dome and a steeple. In 1813 the steeple of the tower had to be dismantled because it had been damaged by the stroke of lightning.

During all its long life Bauska Church of Holy Spirit has carefully been keeping evidences about the history of the Town and the Town inhabitants and gathered a collection of excellent art monuments – devotions and remembrance signs. Church altar was made in 1699 but the present appearance it has obtained in 1861 after the reconstruction what was carried out by the famous Jelgava Artist J.Derings. Pulpit (in 1762) and organ prospect (in 1766) to the Church was presented by the Senator of Russia N. fon Korfs. Congregation benches were made in the middle of the 17th century and in the beginning of the 18th century. In one end of the benches there is to be seen a colourful wood-carving – the oldest depiction of Bauska Coat of Arms (1640) with a gold lion in a red shield.

In the altar part there are placed three pompous private benches of Baroque and Rococo style. By the walls of the Church there are nine tomb plaques of 16-17 centuries arranged in lines, among them also unique monuments of memorial sculpture. Epitaph at the Southern wall of the Church was put up in memory of the Fogt of Bauska Court J.Henning in 1677. It was painted by Bauska artist D. fon Ceics who has also held respectable positions himself – he was both an Elterman, and the Court Fogt and even the Burgomaster. At the opposite wall just recently there has returned the epitaph for other Burgomaster of Bauska – K.J.Reimerss (1757).