Latvian Orthodox Church

The Latvian Orthodox Church is the successor to the Latvian Bishopric of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was established in the 13th century. It was granted autonomy by from the Russian Orthodox Church in 1921. The church played an important role in Latvian independence movements in the 20th century. During the Soviet occupation of Latvia between 1940 and 1991, it lost its autonomy and was persecuted by the communist regime, but continued to play a significant role in Latvian culture and society. In 2022, the church declared autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This declaration has not been recognised by the other Orthodox churches.