Roman Catholic church of Preiļi

In 1676 in Preiļi, a landlord Borhs built a small wooden church and gave it to Jesuits.

In 1771 or 1772, a landlord Jāzeps Borhs built a new church, in honor of a year of Virgin Mary Assumption into Heaven, that was conscecrated by dominicans. In 1873, the dean of Preiļi congregation, Jarockis, decided to renovate the old church and initiated a council meeting. The council decided, that renovation is not enough and concluded, that a new church must be constructed. The approval of this project was received in 1878. The old church was pulled down, but until the construction of the new church (1886), the church sevices were held in a park of the manor, in which Borhi family chapel had been installed in 1817.

The construction of the church was finished in 1886, it was consecrated by a dean of Preiļi, Pēteris Paulins Danusevičs. It was suitable for 1200 churchgoers. The Preiļi church is 28 meters long (without presbitery and anteroom) and 31 meters wide with a tin roof, built of grey boulders. The tower of the church is 30 meters high, together with the cross it is 33,35 meters high. From 1983 - 1984 the church interior walls were painted with a lime color and "līmkrāsa". There is a garden surrounding the church, and a stone fence with a tin roof that surrounds it. In both sides of the garden there are two small chapels. In the tower there are three bells. "Saint Peter" - the large bell, "Saint Francisc" - the medium bell and "Saint Theresa" - the small bell. In 1938 and organ was installed in the church by a Kolbe company. 

In honour of the centennial anniversary of the church, a Mother Latgale statue was installed in 1993, the sculptor of which is B.Buls. A memorial for the politically repressed is also installed nearby the church, the sculptor of which is Vija Dzintare.

The church can take in up to 1200 persons at once. Web page: www.preili.lv/bazneica/divkolpuojumi.htm