Religious building in Lithuania (29)

It is the oldest church in Kaunas City, built in around 1400. It is the only Gothic-style church in Lithuania with a cross-shaped plan. The composition of the building is unparalleled in the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania or the neighboring countries. According to historians, Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania was beaten in the battle with the Tatars and almost drowned in the river at Vorskla. In gratitude, he promised the Virgin Mary to build a church on the river bank. The church, first documented in 1439, belonged to the Franciscans, as evidenced by the original black brick crosses on the walls. The layout of this shrine with a massive square base on the first floor, from which the octagonal volume rises, is typical of Lithuanian Gothic churches. A pier was built on the quay near the church of Vytautas, where sailing boats and later steamboats were moored. Interestingly, in 1877, a station was set up near the church to measure the water level of the Nemunas, with a gauge mounted on a granite wall. In 2019, a monument to the priest and writer Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas was unveiled near the church.

The first Ariogala church was constructed in 1416 by Vytautas the Great of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1609, King Sigismund III Vasa ordered the governor of Ariogala Sebastijonas Kestortas to finish the construction and repairs of the church which later burned and was rebuilt several times. In 1915, as the First World War started, the church was burned. At the beginning, the prayers used to take place in the masonry Daugirdai chapel in the cemetery of Ariogala, and later the temporary church was installed in the cereal warehouse of the volost. In 1925-1939, at the initiative of parson Antanas Simanavicius, a two-tower three-nave red masonry church was built which was designed by Swiss architect Eduard Peyer (born in 1896, died in 1940), who was residing and working in Lithuania. On 8 December 1938, the church was sanctified, and on 17 September 1939, Archbishop Juozapas Skvireckas consecrated it. The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, St. Anthony and St. Archangel Michael are celebrated. 

Until World War II Klaipeda was a Protestant city with few Catholics. From the late 18th century the Catholics had their prayer houses in the northern part of the city at the intersection of Puodžių and Daukant streets. During the Second World War this church was destroyed. After the war the Catholic population increased in both the city and its surroundings, and amounted to more than thirty thousand. In 1948 the Catholic community was officially registered, and was permitted to use the small Christ Apostles Church at Bokstu (of the Tower) street. The Catholics applied repeatedly to the Soviet institutions for permission to build a new church. Finally, in 1956 permission was granted and a selection was made for a place for church at the periphery of the city. In June of 1957 the church cornerstone was consecrated, and the new church was dedicated to Maria, Queen of Peace. This church was built in 1960 from designs prepared by the architect J. Baltrenas, and the interior trim work commenced the following year. Unexpected hindrances occured, and the church builders were put under close surveillance. The final consecration ceremony was denied, and the priests and church builders were arrested, including: L. Pavilonis, B. Burneikis, other contractors and parish committee members. "Wave of protest" were instigated against the church builders. They were accused of alleged profiteering from construction materials, and in the beginning of 1962 they were convicted by the Soviet Supreme Court and sentenced to prison (four to eight years); the "state damages" were adjudged to be assessed against them. With the assistance of Soviet troops in 1962, the tower was toppled and the church was converted into a philharmonic concert hall. The issue of returning the Church to the congregation was approached numerous times. In 1979 a 1589-page book containing 148149 signatures was sent to the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party, Leonid Brezhnev. Only in 1987, during the years of Soviet Perestroika, was the church permitted to be used for the needs of the Catholic community. On November 25, 1988 the first religious service in the regained church was celebrated. 

Few people know that the spaces of the current Resurrection Church for a while housed the workshop of metal sculptor Edmundas Frejus in Soviet times. Henrikas Zukauskas, senior architect of the then Kaunas Radio Factory "Banga", has described the sculptor's smithy and the former factory that operated in the church during the late Soviet years. Edmundas Frejus came to Kaunas mainly for work in this factory. His colleagues described being surprised by his individuality, personality and a unique philosophy. He wasn't just a smith any more, he was the master of metal. Here he created not only a great number of functional pieces, the hot iron was used to create sculptural works for exhibitions as well. He received a special order after the events of January 13. After the loss of the heroes, the Supreme Council decreed to award the victims with the Orders of the Cross of Vytis, however, finding masters to fulfil the task proved difficult. Edmundas Frejus took on the production of the orders. Thus, the first orders of restored independent Lithuania were created in the Resurrection Church.

Built in the shape of a Latin cross, the single nave Cathedral of the Apostles St Peter and St Paul is the heart of the Siauliai diocese, which Pope John Paul II created in 1997. The Church is Lithuania's most representative example of Renaissance Mannerist architecture. Completed in 1625, this majestic building with many original architectural elements seems to have been built for defense purposes. The thick walls and compact form of the Church, its bow windows on the main façade and the churchyard gate towers with firing holes are reminiscent of a defense construction. This is further emphasized by the churchyard gate, unique in Lithuania, which stands directly in front of the Cathedral. The image of a well fortified building was achieved by combining local architectural traditions with the examples from Western Europe. Devout souls can often be seen inside Siauliai Cathedral praying in front of its celebrated painting of the Virgin Mary and the Infant.

It is a Latin cross plan church which consists of four main parts: a tower with the main façade and a rectangular porch, a lengthwise nave, a transverse nave and a presbytery. The building is massive, its silhouette is calm and its architectural structure is complex as traditional folk shapes are combined with the pretentious Baroque. The carcass of the wooden church is constructed in a smart way, the pine logs are joined in such an even and prestigious manner that no additional decoration was needed for the walls. It is surprising that the model of masonry church carcass was used by the builders as opposed to traditional wooden sanctuaries. Therefore, it is one of the most complex and unique buildings of the cult in the entire Lithuania from the construction perspective. It is difficult to distinguish between the main parts in the exterior of the building because they are not dominating in the massive volume and are not in contrast with it. Two towers above the main façade and rhythmical shapes of roofs and intermediate roofs make the building dynamic. The building is monumental not only because of its volume but also because of high walls and high-rise windows. The interior of the church is bright, colorful and joyful, which is a total opposition to the restrained interiors of Protestant churches. The internal space is divided into four parts, namely the porch, the lengthwise nave, the transverse nave and the presbytery. The latter one is highlighted and illuminated best: it is emphasised by a high vault, and a soft light is coming through the windows of a three-wall apside. The grand altar is the most important decoration of the presbytery and the church. Only its lower part remained authentic; the middle part and the upper part were restored. The 18th century metal-coated painting of St. Joseph with Baby Jesus in his hands is hung at the centre of the altar. Another painting of the same century is hung in the St. Scapular Fraternity altar installed near the western transverse nave. God's Mother with Baby Jesus in her hands is represented in the painting. The fragments of former ceiling and wall decorations are represented by well-painted functional interior elements: cornices, window edges, ceiling luminaires, moldings and rosettes. The quire gallery is decorated by a 7-voice Rococo organ of the end of the 18th century. Away from the church, a bell tower of two different square parts is erected. Its lower part is massive, and it is constructed from ticked pine logs and covered with boards, while the upper part is light and carcass, and there is an open gallery there. The silhouette of the bell tower is diversified, and the facades are enlivened by an intermediate rood installed between its both parts. It reflects the shape of the main roof rhythmically. No elements not related with the function of the bell tower were used for its decoration, the artistic whole of this building is formed by symmetrical shapes of the facades, proportionate volumes, wooden texture and construction elements. The Wooden Virgin Mary's Sacrificial Church and the bell tower were constructed by Carmelite monks in 1766. The church gained the name of St. Joseph in the first half of the 19th century. 

Pre-history of this neo-Gothic sanctuary, whose construction was finished in 1908 goes back to the 16th century - then, near the Nemunas River, a wooden St. George church used to be. Vilkija and the church had been devastated by fires many times, rebuilt, yet burned again in 1892. In 1901, a new brick church was started on a hill chosen by the priest at the time Butkus who claimed that the church had to point the way to heaven and, owing to donation, bought a piece of land on the hill. The new parish priest Stanislovas Backis, Butkus' successor, moved to Vilkija in 1906, found the parish moneybox empty and rioting people. Having perceived that he would not succeed in collecting donations, he set up brick works in Jaucakiai and Vilkija village, started farming. For construction of the presbytery and the church, Stanislovas Backis donated all the inheritance of his family. Local residents worked in construction of the church. About 10 thousand people gathered for solemn consecration of the magnificent red brick church on 21st of September 1908. Vilkija had never seen such a multitude of people before.

The first church was built at initiative of the chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Mikalojus Ravilla Juodasis (Nicholas Radziwill the Black), in 1555, at the centre of the Vilnius Evangelical Lutheran community, and was reconstructed several times after wars and fires. Works of restoration of the present church were started in 1739. The famous architect Johann Christoph Glaubitz led the construction works and designed the impressive lavishly decorated Rococo altar. The church was closed in 1941. A basketball hall and a workshop were set up in the premises of the church after the war. In 1988, the church was returned to the restored Evangelical Lutheran parish.

The Church of the Divine Mercy is famed for the picture of the Merciful Christ, which attracts numerous pilgrims. It spreads the message of Divine Mercy to which Pope John Paul II gave a new meaning all over the world. Built in the 15th century, this Gothic Catholic Church, which first bore the name of the Holy Trinity, has suffered an unsettled fate. In the 19th century it was an Orthodox church for some time but in 1920 it was returned to the Catholics. In Soviet times the church was abandoned and used as a warehouse and workshops. After the re-establishment of Lithuania's independence, the church was returned to the Archdiocese of Vilnius. After it has been restored, in 2004, this Gothic sanctuary was adapted for adoration of the images of the Merciful Christ that was placed on a new central altar and was famous for heavenly mercy. The picture was painted according to the vision of sister Faustina (in Vilnius, in 1934, artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski (1873-1939)). During the Soviet times the picture was hidden in various churches in Lithuania and Belarus. Pope John Paul II contributed greatly to spreading the image of the Merciful Christ by writing his encyclical letter "Dives in misericordia" (Rich in Mercy) (1980) in which he strengthened the theological basis of devotion to divine mercy, by beatifying Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905 - 1938) in 1993, and canonising her in 2000. In 2000, the Congregation for Divine Worship announced that the Sunday after Easter would be celebrated by the Church as the Feast of Divine Mercy all over the world. The Week of Mercy is held at the sanctuary annually from Easter Sunday to the Feast of Divine Mercy. Reverend Michal Sopocko (1888 - 1975, beatified in 2008) confessor and spiritual director for Sister Faustina, was pastor at St. Michael Church in Vilnius before the Soviet authorities closed it.

According to legends, in 1345, Maria, the wife of the Grand Duke Algirdas, initiated the construction of an orthodox church, also known as the Church of the Martyr of the 3rd century St Parasceve, in the place where a pagan temple to the God Ragutis once stood. After being destroyed in a fire, a new church was built at the end of the 16th century. The Russian czar Peter I (Peter the Great) visited the church in 1705 and 1708 and presented to it flags taken from the Swedish array. His African protege, Hannibal, who was later made a general and married a noble Russian, was baptized in this church during the visit of the Czar. The talented Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin was Hannibal's grandchild. The present church was built in 1865 according to the project of Nikolay Chagin. It is a Lithuanian orthodox parish.