Work on a new church began in 1574 at the commission of Duke Gotthard Kettler of Courland and Zemgale.  The steeple was installed between 1686 and 1688, and in 1862 its height was increased to 80.5 m.  The church burned down because of Soviet bombardment on July 27, 1944, and in 1954 the Soviet military blew up its ruins.  Reconstruction of the steeple began in 2009, and it now has an outstanding interactive museum that is particularly interesting for children, along with a glassed viewing platform.