The Pinki Evangelical Lutheran Church of St John

The first church in Piņķi was made of wood.  The idea of building a new church emerged in the 1850s, and the cornerstone for a design by the architect J.D. Felsco was laid on May 25, 1872.  The church that is there today was completed in 1874.  The nine-register organ was built by the distinguished organ builder Wilhelm Sauer in 1890.  On July 17, 1916, the 5th Latvian Riflemen’s Battalion was on its way to the front lines at Smārde and stopped at the Piņķi Estate.  Col Jukums Vācietis delivered a sermon at the church on that date (though not all historians agree that he did so), and that has gone down in history as one of the most important events of the day.  The historical even inspired Aleksandrs Čaks to write the poem “Sermon at the Piņķi Church.”  The church is a cultural monument and can be toured.  It is lit up at night.  Alongside the stone is a rock that was installed in commemoration of the Latvian riflemen.