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Religion was important in Latvian life before World War II and the Soviet atheist campaign. There were substantial varition which genrrtally followed the country's ethnic divide. Latvia's position in northern Europe (where protestantism dominated and surrounded by Cathholic Poland and Orthodox Russia) made for a divere religious community. Latvia was ruled by Orthodox Tsarist Russia for more than two centuries. The cities had an important German Protestant community. The single most important religion was Evangelical Lutheranism. Slightly more than half of Latvians were Lutherans (55 percent). This varied ethnically. Nearly 70 prcent of the ethnic Latvians were Lutherans. The next most important religion was Roman Catholocism, influenced by a long historical assocation with Catholic Poland. About 25 percent of Latvians were Catholic, relatively the same proportion for both Latvians as a whole as well as ethnic Latvians. The Catholic population was centered in the economically poor southeastern province of Latgale. Here there was a short border with northeastern Poland. Today it is part of Belarus. About 70 percent of the population of Latgale was Catholic. This association with Poland may be why the NAZIs slated the Latgalians for destruction as part of Generalplan Ost. This concentration in the southeast is why some Latvians viewed Catholicism of more of a regional religion. This is another reason that Lutheranism was seen as the dominant national religion. The Orthodox Church of Latvia introduced by the Russians accounted for about 10 percent of the population. Most of the Orthoox were Russians and other Slavs. Orthodixy was less common among ethnic Latvians. Old Believers, a Russian fundamentalist sect, accounted for another 5 percent of the population. Many were ethnic Russians which had fled Tsarist persecution (17th century). They settled in what was at the time was Swedish- and Polish-controlled Latvia. Latvia also had a small Jewish population before World Wwar II amounting to about 5 percent of the population. The rest of Latvia's pre-War population was a variety of Protestant denominations. The importance of religion in Latvian life was substantially reduced by World War II and the ensuing Soviet annexation. The Soviets seized control (1940) as prt of the NAZI-Soviet Non-Agression Pact and launched an atheism campign. The Germans invaded as part of Operation Barbarossa (1941). They destroyed the country's Jewish community as part of the Holocaust. The Sovies reentered Latvia (1944) and launched theur atheism campsign in earnest.
Latvia was one of the last European regions to be Christianized. The Baltic area was beyond the control of Rome so ancient accounts offer little information on eraly religious practices. The earliest records indicate inhabitants of what is now the Baltic republics practiced Baltic and Finnic paganism, but as Christianity spread duringb the meduieval era, this practive gradually declined. As the Germas, Denmatk and Sweden became Chrtianized, Latvia fell under the influence of the Roman Catholic Church. The neigboring kingdoms as well as the North German Livonian and Teutonic military orders vied for control in what has become known as the Northern Crusades (12-13 centuries). Eastern Latvia (especially Koknese and Jersika) wereconquered by Viking Rurik dynasty who had moved east andf adopted Orthodox Christianity (12th century). The Livonian Order conquered the area and imposed Catholicism (13th century). The Orthodox Church thus disapeared until reintroduced by the Russioans (19th century).
Pagan practices only gradually dusappeared andc continued in thev countrysidec for centuries. Small pockerts of pagan beliefs were still reported into the 17th centyry). And wghile eventuallyb sucumingb to Catholocism, pagan infliences survived in traditional holiday celebrations. This is especioally notable for Christmas (Ziemassvētki) and Easter (Lieldienas). The Protestant Reformation brought Lutheranism to Latvia (16th century). German and Scandinavian influenced penetrated deeply into Latvian religious practices. Only Latgale in the southeat remained Catholic, as a result of the strength of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Religion was important in Latvian life before World War II and the Soviet atheist campaign. The importance of religion in Latvian life was substantially reduced by World War II and the ensuing Soviet annexation. The Soviets seized control (1940) as prt of the NAZI-Soviet Non-Agression Pact and launched an atheism campign. The Germans invaded as part of Operation Barbarossa (1941). They destroyed the country's Jewish community as part of the Holocaust. The Sovies reentered Latvia (1944) and launched theur atheism campsign in earnest. The impact of Soviet rule and the general European trend of secularization have had a major impact on Latvia. An increasing percentage of Latvians, about 25 percent, now reprt no religious affliliation.
There were substantial varition which genrrtally followed the country's ethnic divide. Latvia's position in northern Europe (where protestantism dominated and surrounded by Catholic Poland and Orthodox Russia) made for a divere religious community. Latvia was ruled by Orthodox Tsarist Russia for more than two centuries. The cities had an important German Protestant community.
The single most important religion was Evangelical Lutheranism. Slightly more than half of Latvians were Lutherans (55 percent). This varied ethnically. Nearly 70 prcent of the ethnic Latvians were Lutherans. The next most important religion was Roman Catholocism, influenced by a long historical assocation with Catholic Poland. About 25 percent of Latvians were Catholic, relatively the same proportion for both Latvians as a whole as well as ethnic Latvians. The Catholic population was centered in the economically poor southeastern province of Latgale. Here there was a short border with northeastern Poland. Today it is part of Belarus. About 70 percent of the population of Latgale was Catholic. This association with Poland may be why the NAZIs slated the Latgalians for destruction as part of Generalplan Ost. This concentration in the southeast is why some Latvians viewed Catholicism of more of a regional religion. This is another reason that Lutheranism was seen as the dominant national religion. The Orthodox Church of Latvia introduced by the Russians accounted for about 10 percent of the population. Most of the Orthoox were Russians and other Slavs. Orthodixy was less common among ethnic Latvians. Old Believers, a Russian fundamentalist sect, accounted for another 5 percent of the population. Many were ethnic Russians which had fled Tsarist persecution (17th century). They settled in what was at the time was Swedish- and Polish-controlled Latvia. Latvia also had a small Jewish population before World War II amounting to about 5 percent of the population. The rest of Latvia's pre-War population was a variety of Protestant denominations.
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