Spiritual life

Spiritual life at European Christian academy is featured by:

  • Morning devotions at the Chapel at 9.40 AM,
  • Evening devotions at the Chapel at 18.00 PM,
  • Recollections on various topics of spiritual growth meeting students’ interests – every semester,
  • Meetings and discussions with clergy of traditional Christian Churches about the role of the Church in the life of society,
  • Theoretical seminar “Anthropology of hesychasm” in the last Thursday of each month (for both students and teachers),
  • Visits to Orthodox monasteries and holy places (to Crete, Estonia etc.).

On April 17, 2023, ECA lecturer Juris Jefuni delivered a lecture “The Emergence of a New Theological Agenda in Orthodoxy against the Background of the War in Ukraine”. The lecture was held on April 17th, 2023. Event was organized and was received with great interest by the students and public audience and became evident from the lively discussion that followed.

Lectures on Babylonian Talmud by prof. Haim Weiss (Ben Gurion University, Israel)

In February 13-16, 2023, Christian Academy in cooperation with Israel Embassy in Latvia, Ambassador Mrs. Sharon Rappoport-Palgi, organized lectures on Anthropologcial questions in Babylonian Talmud, the most important text of Judaism by world-famous judaist prof. Haim Weiss (Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, Israel) at Aula Minor of University of Latvia.
Lectures attracted professionals from helping professions – social workers, social pedagogues, religious scientists historians of culture, policy makers.
One week intensive course opened up possibility to discuss modern issue of human identity crisis. The discussions were held in a very welcoming atmosphere, clarified many questions of modern philosophy and history of reveleation given to Jews.
European Christian Academy has cooperation agreement with Ben-Gurion University in the Negev and Centre of Jewish Studies.
By this we sincerely thank Israel Embassy in Latvia for making this event possible!

Exhibition of Icons in Balvi Center of Sacred culture

We welcome to attend the Icon exhibition of Orthodox Icons painted by young artists, graduates from European Christian Academy. The exhibition is open in Balvi city, Center of Sacred culture, from January 30 till March 25; meeting with artists is scheduled for March 25. Iconography is rarity today, and graduates of the Academy keep the […]

Stamp commemorating “The Gospel from Jersika” presented

In August 22, 2020, Latvian Orthodox Church in cooperation with “Latvijas Pasts” and Latvian Christian academy presented postal stamp commemorating 750 years since the “Gospel from Jersika” was copied by Latvian Orthodox believer named Jurģis. It is the oldest known Gospel text from Latvia. The presentation was done in Riga Latvian Society House and was attended by President of Latvian Academy of Sciences Dr. Ojārs Spārītis, Director of Fundamental Library of Latvian University Dr. Venta Kocere, clergym artists and academics. Rector of Latvian Christian academy adressed the audience with extended history overview illuminating development of Orthodox Christianity in Latvia.

Discussion about the future of Europe

Rector of Latvian Christian academy prof. Skaidrīte Gūtmane was invited to attend the discussion hosted by the President Emeritus of European Council
Herman Van Rompuy with Victoria Martin de la Torre, the author of the book “Europe, the Leap into the Unknown”, and Fr. Martin Mayer from “Jesuit European Social centre”. The discussion will be joined by Mr. Jerome Vignon, long-term head of the “Semaines Sociales de France” think-tank group and other members. The discussion is organized by “Chapel for Europe” (Brussels) virtual cafe.

International seminar for students on “European Sacred Art Heritage for Social Europe of Hope”

An international seminar (online) for students “European Sacred Art Heritage for Social Europe of Hope” was hosted by Latvian Christian Academy in March 20, 2020. Art department students presented four reports which won special Award in the Competition “Best Research paper in 2019”. The seminar was attended by Klaipeda Art College (LT), Orthodox Academy of Crete (GR) with presentations on Ecology issues reflected in Art.

Excursion of art students to unique monasteries in Pskov

Students of the Biblical art study programme together with their teacher, Icon painter K.Tambovskaya, visited the world-famous monastery in Pechori (Pskov, Russia). They visited the Kremlin, its splendid Cathedral of St. Trinity, churches of John the Baptist and St. Basil the Great, and historical reservation of the old Russian architecture “Поганкины палаты”. They saw icons […]

Dedication of the Icon of the Holy Family at Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Riga Old City .

Studies at Latvian Christian academy are attended by Roman Catholics, Orthodoxes and Lutherans. One of the students, Laura Valle, being Roman Catholic, has made a research in the history of iconography of the Holy Family, painted an icon and defended her Bachelor thesis in Arts this spring. Icon was conceived as a gift to the […]

Rector of LChrA prof. Skaidrīte Gūtmane attending audience with Pope Francis in Vatican.

In  June 4, 2017, an audience with Pope Francis was held for representatives of the International Deaconate Center (Germany) in the Apostolic palace, Vatican. In his address the President of IDC Dr. Klaus Kiessling – also Doctor Honoris Causa of Latvian Christian academy, actively involved in making of the Caritative social work study programme at […]

Public lecture of Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Public lecture of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of the State of Vatican, was held in Great hall of Latvian University, May 12, 2016. Cardinal presented the Latvian edition of Encylic “Laudato si” and his visit marked 25th anniversary of the renewed diplomatic relations between Latvia and Holy See and 95th anniversary since Holy See has […]

Students and graduates of LCA gather for the “Cabinet of Byzantine Anthropology”!

In March 1 – April 1, 2016, Cabinet of the Byzantine Anthropology was opened at Latvian Christian academy, inviting those who are interested, both students and graduates from the Academy, four times a year for sessions in cooperation with well-known foreign academics. Byzantine anthropology attracts interest both among theologians, philosophers and anthropologists; books and articles […]