RIGA – The preeminent church of Latvia’s national church and the dominant structure of Riga’s downtown skyline, the Riga Cathedral, is in serious jeopardy if restoration works are not accelerated, a new report shows.

A new crack has appeared in the cathedral’s massive tower, the result of the overly heavy structure and a weak foundation, officials from the cathedral’s management told the Russian-language daily Telegraf. The bulky tower was expanded over the centuries, adding more and more weight to the wooden foundation — itself erected on [private_supervisor]swampy earth. As a result, one corner of the tower has weakened, and a new crack formed.

A laser-guided tensiometer, a device that measures tension, was recently inserted in the tower to measure the new crack, and preliminary results are staggering: the crack increased by 0.2 millimeter over the past two months.

“At that rate the crack will widen by a centimeter in 20 years — perhaps a bit quicker, perhaps slower. The building is a living mechanism reacting to outside factors, and what happens next no one knows,” Kaspars Ulitis, a member of the cathedral’s management board, told the paper.

Officials warned that the nightmare scenario cannot be ruled out.

“If you fix one thing, then you’ll have to fix the other. Generally speaking, it needs major restoration,” said Ulitis. “If nothing’s done, Riga will be deprived of its main symbol.”

Officials said a working group for restoration has been created, and that the bill for restoring the architectural jewel is approximated at 37 million lats (€52 million). However, officials say no similar project — changing the foundation — has ever been undertaken, so no one is quite sure how to go about it.

Currently there are metal beams in place that take on part of the tower’s weight, but what worries experts is what is taking place beneath the enormous house of prayer. Construction on the cathedral began in 1211. It is currently the seat of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church.[/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]swampy earth. As a result, one corner of the tower has weakened, and a new crack formed.

A laser-guided tensiometer – a device that measures tension – was recently inserted in the tower to measure the new crack, and preliminary results are staggering: the crack increased by 0.2 millimeter over the past two months.

“At that rate the crack will widen by a centimeter in 20 years – perhaps a bit quicker, perhaps slower. The building is a living mechanism reacting to outside factors, and what happens next no one knows,” Kaspars Ulitis, a member of the cathedral’s management board, told the paper.

Officials warned that the nightmare scenario cannot be ruled out.

“If you fix one thing, then you’ll have to fix the other. Generally speaking, it needs major restoration,” said Ulitis. “If nothing’s done, Riga will be deprived of its main symbol.”

Officials said a working group for restoration has been created, and that the bill for restoring the architectural jewel is approximated at 37 million lats (€52 million). However, officials say no similar project — changing the foundation — has ever been undertaken, so no one is quite sure how to go about it.

Currently there are metal beams in place that take on part of the tower’s weight, but what worries experts is what is taking place beneath the enormous house of prayer. Construction on the cathedral began in 1211. It is currently the seat of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church.[/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]swampy earth. As a result, one corner of the tower has weakened, and a new crack formed.

A laser-guided tensiometer – a device that measures tension – was recently inserted in the tower to measure the new crack, and preliminary results are staggering: the crack increased by 0.2 millimeter over the past two months.

“At that rate the crack will widen by a centimeter in 20 years – perhaps a bit quicker, perhaps slower. The building is a living mechanism reacting to outside factors, and what happens next no one knows,” Kaspars Ulitis, a member of the cathedral’s management board, told the paper.

Officials warned that the nightmare scenario cannot be ruled out.

“If you fix one thing, then you’ll have to fix the other. Generally speaking, it needs major restoration,” said Ulitis. “If nothing’s done, Riga will be deprived of its main symbol.”

Officials said a working group for restoration has been created, and that the bill for restoring the architectural jewel is approximated at 37 million lats (€52 million). However, officials say no similar project — changing the foundation — has ever been undertaken, so no one is quite sure how to go about it.

Currently there are metal beams in place that take on part of the tower’s weight, but what worries experts is what is taking place beneath the enormous house of prayer. Construction on the cathedral began in 1211. It is currently the seat of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church.[/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]swampy earth. As a result, one corner of the tower has weakened, and a new crack formed.

A laser-guided tensiometer – a device that measures tension – was recently inserted in the tower to measure the new crack, and preliminary results are staggering: the crack increased by 0.2 millimeter over the past two months.

“At that rate the crack will widen by a centimeter in 20 years – perhaps a bit quicker, perhaps slower. The building is a living mechanism reacting to outside factors, and what happens next no one knows,” Kaspars Ulitis, a member of the cathedral’s management board, told the paper.

Officials warned that the nightmare scenario cannot be ruled out.

“If you fix one thing, then you’ll have to fix the other. Generally speaking, it needs major restoration,” said Ulitis. “If nothing’s done, Riga will be deprived of its main symbol.”

Officials said a working group for restoration has been created, and that the bill for restoring the architectural jewel is approximated at 37 million lats (€52 million). However, officials say no similar project — changing the foundation — has ever been undertaken, so no one is quite sure how to go about it.

Currently there are metal beams in place that take on part of the tower’s weight, but what worries experts is what is taking place beneath the enormous house of prayer. Construction on the cathedral began in 1211. It is currently the seat of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church.[/private_subscription 1 year]

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