Lokstene Shrine of Dievturi


Lokstene Shrine of Dievturi is a Dievturi religious building in Pļaviņas Municipality, Latvia. It is used by the organization Latvijas Dievturu sadraudze for devotional ceremonies and annual celebrations.

Details

The building is located on a small island in the Daugava river, behind the Liepkalni bakery and café in Liepsalas, close to the town Pļaviņas. It is named after the nearby Lokstene castle mound.
The entire complex includes a shrine building, a ferry, an assembly and flag square, a monument to the ancestors, and a gate of the sun.

Development

The project was financed by Dagnis Čākurs, owner of the Liepkalni bakery chain. Čākurs explained that as he had grown older, he had become more interested in questions about the soul and mortality. As the Latvian people had supported his business over the years, he wanted to give something in return, and hoped to do so with a house for the national gods and Latvian folk culture.
The design was developed by Latvijas Dievturu sadraudze under the leadership of Valdis Celms. The architect was Ainārs Markvarts. The interior design was done by Andrejs Broks and Egons Garklāvs. The sculptor was Jānis Karlovs.

Activity

The island is owned by Čākurs and is leased by the LDS. LDS began to use the building in the autumn of 2016, before the entire complex was finished. The official opening took place on 6 May 2017.
The building regularly hosts devotional ceremonies and celebrations, such as family celebrations, celebrations of moral and spiritual values, and celebration of the Latvian national day.
Anita Liepiņa of the literary magazine Jaunā Gaita argued in 2017 that the building should receive state support just like churches receive support for maintenance.