The ringing of 12 bells of the Riga Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ was first heard by Riga on April 24, 1884. At the end of the XVIII century, the need arose to build a worthy cathedral in Riga, but it took almost a hundred years for the construction of the temple to become a reality. On April 17, 1874, by decree of Emperor Alexander II of the Diocese of Riga, 900 thousand rubles were allocated for the construction of the cathedral. Competitive projects of Riga architects Bauman, Shel and Pflug went through rigorous selection in Riga, Moscow and St. Petersburg. As a result, the project of Robert Pflug was chosen, the architect Chagin was entrusted with supervising the construction work. July 3, 1876 the consecration of the bookmarks of the cathedral took place. By the beginning of the eighties of the XIX century, the construction of the building was almost completed. However, to accommodate 12 bells sent by Alexander III as a gift to the temple, additional design and construction of the bell tower above the main entrance to the temple was required, onto which the largest of the bells was hoisted, weighing about 13 tons. The construction of the cathedral was completed in 1884. Soon the Riga Cathedral becomes the spiritual center not only of Riga, but of the whole region. Many prominent representatives of the clergy took part in its activity, including Archpriest John of Kronstadt, now ranked among the Saints. The interior of the cathedral was notable for its richness and high quality workmanship. The iconostases and choirs were decorated with patterned columns, gilded cast zinc ornaments and wood carvings. The real work of art was openwork gilded gates of the main aisle. Church utensils were made of silver of the 84th test by the jewelers of the Factory of Diamond, Gold and Silver Products of Ivan Khlebnikov. Icons for the cathedral were made on canvas and zinc, white metal and cypress boards. They were painted on a golden background, focusing on samples of ancient church paintings, many icons were created by special order and were made by famous artists Vereshchagin, Shamshin and Vasilyev. A tragic turn in the fate of the temple came in 1918. Riga self-government actually closed the cathedral. Worship in it was forbidden. The cathedral was in a disastrous state: windows without glass, the bell tower without bells, the iconostases were broken, the crucifix was thrown into the trash. The activity of the cathedral was resumed with difficulty, only from Christmas 1922 the temple began its daily service. In the 30s, the Cathedral was put in order, the painting was updated. During World War II, the temple again fell into ruin. And in 1963 the Cathedral was closed, the bells were removed, and the building itself miraculously escaped destruction - they wanted to blow it up. The temple was saved by the fact that it was considered an architectural monument, and a planetarium "settled" in it for 30 years. The restoration of the cathedral began in 1991: ceiling ceilings were completely replaced, the walls were painted again, since no murals could be restored, all domes were covered with copper, a new roof was made and a cross was gilded on the central dome. In 2000, the Malyshkov family donated a new iconostasis to the cathedral, and in 2002 the church received new bells. Through the efforts of many people, the Riga Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ again found its worthy place in the spiritual and cultural life of Latvia.