The Small Guild is located in Old Riga right opposite the Great Guild. This beautiful building in the form in which we know it today appeared in the city in 1866.
Nowadays, it is not members of the merchants' guild who meet here, but the Riga Center for Culture and Folk Art, under whose auspices concerts, conferences, festive and official ceremonial events are held. The center runs studios of decorative and applied arts and theater arts, and folk ensembles perform.
The Small Guild, also known as the Guild of St. James, was founded in the 14th century and was an association of craftsmen, as opposed to the Great Guild of St. Mary, which accepted merchants. The guilds were not very friendly with each other - entry into the building of the "competitors" was, if not forbidden, then highly undesirable.
In the second half of the 19th century, the outdated two-story building of the Small Guild, which had stood for more than five hundred years, was rebuilt according to the design of architect Johann Felsko.
The interiors of the Small Guild deserve special attention. The windows are fitted with Hanover stained glass, and the floor is covered with terracotta mosaic tiles. A distinctive feature of the building is the facade tower, decorated with an image of St. John with a lamb, the patron saint of craftsmen.
