Big Christopher

The story goes (though details vary) that in the third century there lived, on the right bank of the Daugarva River, a gentle giant called Offero. Offero made a living by ferrying people across the river on his shoulders, day or night and in all kinds of weather.

One very stormy night Offero heard a young boy crying. Reacting to the cries, Offero found that the boy wanted to cross the river. Despite the awful weather and the turbulent river conditions, as was his custom, Offero put the boy on his shoulders and set out across the river. As he made his way he found the young boy getting heavier and heavier such that, even with all his strength, he had to struggle greatly to get the boy across the river.

Having completed the crossing the young boy identified himself as Jesus and explained that his weight was due to the fact that he carried the weight of the sins of the world on his own shoulders. Offero, henceforth, became known as Lielais Kristaps or Big Christopher, Christopher meaning the one who carried Christ.

Christopher put the young Jesus to sleep and went to bed himself. When he woke he found that the boy had disappeared but where he had rested there was a bag of gold.

Christopher never spent a cent of this gold and on his death it was used to build the city of Riga, the city of which Christopher is patron saint today.

In 1683 Mihael Brinckmann carved a 2.36 metres high wooden statue of St Christopher with the young boy Jesus on his shoulders and placed it here on the banks of the Dargava River where Christoper, also patron saint of travellers, could keep watch over all people travelling into and out of Riga, in addition to protecting the city from floods and other natural disasters.

In the 1990s the original statue was moved into Riga’s Museum of History and Navigation where it can still be seen today – pictured above, courtesy of https://medievalmilanetc.wordpress.com/.

This 1997 copy of the statue by Ģirts Upītis replaced the original by the river so still today St Christopher protects the city and watches over travellers leaving or arriving via the river.

In more recent times Big Christopher has appeared on Latvian coinage (1996) and stamps (2006).

Address: 11 Novembra Krastmala
Directions: On the east bank of the Daugava River across from Riga Castle

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This blog entry is one of a group (loop) of entries on the Old City area of Riga. I suggest you continue with my next entry – Riga Castle – Musical Chairs – or to start the loop at the beginning go to my first entry – SamaraH Hotel Metropole – Riga.

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