Jāņa sēta 5, Central District, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia
Konventa Seta and Jana Seta are small courtyards located in the very heart of Riga's Old Town, behind St. Peter's Cathedral, between Skarnu and Kaleju streets. Both courtyards are architectural monuments and major attractions of Riga's Old Town.
These two charming courtyards are situated next to each other in such a way that you can pass from one courtyard to the other. They are separated by a low wall with arched gates. These gates are not there by chance. The fact is that the Konventa courtyard has only four entrances and exits, each of which has gates that are sometimes closed at night.
The courtyard of Jana Seta (Jaņa Seta) literally translates from Latvian as John’s Courtyard, since it adjoins the Riga Lutheran Church of St. John, after which the courtyard got its name. This place is a key point in the history of Riga, a turning point for many events. Once, John’s Courtyard was the territory of the first bishop’s castle — the place where in 1201 the founder of Riga, Bishop Albert of Buxthoeven, settled.
With the arrival of the Inquisition in Riga in 1232, the old castle chapel was converted into the Church of St. John, and next to it our gates appeared. In 1234, the owner changed; the new archbishop Nicholas sold his castle and the adjoining territory to the Dominican Order, which had settled in Riga in the first quarter of the 13th century.
From the beginning of the 13th century until 1234, this site was the first city bishop’s courtyard — the first castle of the Riga bishop, serving as his residence. Its holdings in the historic medieval center of Riga directly adjoined the holdings of the Master of the Livonian Order, separated by a willow tree planted between the two centers. In 1234, the owner changed; the new archbishop Nicholas sold his castle and the adjoining territory to the Dominican Order, which had settled in Riga in the first quarter of the 13th century.
Fragments of the monastery’s cross gallery have survived to this day, dating back to the 1330s, when the Dominicans arranged the site and enclosed it with a massive fortress wall featuring an arched gate with the image of a “view of the donkey’s back.” This whimsical arch points to the necessity of following Jesus Christ, who entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. These monastery gates open onto Skarnu Street and are located immediately behind the main portal of St. John’s Church (to the right) and the widow’s shelter, Konvent Ekka.
After the Reformation, the monastery buildings passed to the city. In the 19th century, Riga police barracks were located here. Inside the courtyard, a fragment of Riga’s early 13th-century fortress wall has been preserved.
Jana’s Courtyard is one of the main attractions of Riga’s Old Town and a cultural and recreational site. It is the former courtyard of the Dominican monastery. In size, Jana’s Courtyard is small, much smaller than Konventa Seta. It has two entrances, not counting the passage connecting it with Konventa Seta. Several buildings are located in this courtyard, one of which houses a café.
In the film "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson," episode "The Bloody Inscription," this courtyard was the location of the hotel where Stangerson was murdered. In the film, the street name signs and house numbers had to be covered. Now they are no longer here, nor is the lantern above the sign.
The gates through which the carriage passes are hidden in deep shadow between St. John’s Church (house 24 on Skarnu Street) and the building known in Riga as Konvent Ekka (house 20/22). Skarnu Street itself is first mentioned in historical documents in 1408 as the street of meat merchants. Through the archway of the former Dominican monastery gates, a fragment of the facade of St. Peter’s Church is visible.
Sources:
https://www.221b.ru/geo/2-janaseta.htm
https://renatar.livejournal.com/31000.html
