| Latvian Orthodox Church | |
|---|---|
| Latvijas Pareizticīgā Baznīca | |
 Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, Riga | |
| Abbreviation | LOC |
| Classification | Eastern Orthodox |
| Orientation | Russian Orthodoxy |
| Theology | Eastern Orthodox theology |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Structure | Communion |
| Primate | Metropolitan of Riga and all Latvia Aleksandrs Kudrjašovs |
| Autonomy | 1921 |
| Language | Latvian, Church Slavonic |
| Liturgy | Byzantine Rite |
| Headquarters | Riga, Latvia |
| Territory | Latvia |
| Independence | 2022 (de facto) |
| Separated from | Russian Orthodox Church |
| Congregations | 126 (2019)[1] |
| Official website | pravoslavie.lv |
The Latvian Orthodox Church (Latvian: Latvijas Pareizticīgā Baznīca) is an Eastern Orthodox church in Latvia, part of the wider Eastern Orthodoxy community. The primate of the church carries the title of Metropolitan of Riga and all Latvia (Latvian: Rīgas un visas Latvijas metropolīts). This position has been occupied since October 27, 1990, by metropolitan Aleksandrs Kudrjašovs.
Until 2022, the Latvian Orthodox Church was universally recognized as a self-governing part of the Russian Orthodox Church. On 8 September 2022, the Latvian parliament directed the Latvian Orthodox Church to accept a status of autocephaly,[2] due to Patriarch Kirill's support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As of December 2022, no other Orthodox churches have recognized the autocephaly of the Latvian Church.
- ^ "С 1992 года количество православных общин в Латвии выросло на 35%". blagovest-info.ru (in Russian). 28 October 2019.
- ^ Orthodox Church of Latvia seceded from Moscow – It was a matter of national security, says the President orthodoxtimes.com September 10, 2022