About the Church
The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Kernavė is one of the most impressive monuments of Lithuanian culture and architecture, standing in the town of Kernavė, on the upper terrace of the right bank of the Neris. It is a place where old Christian traditions and modern architecture intertwine.
The first church in Kernavė was built before 1430. It became an important religious and cultural centre, and its history began with the manor administrator Ona Kareivaitė-Mačkuvienė, who endowed the church and established an altar benefice in 1496. In addition, in 1508 she donated further property to the church. During the Reformation a chapel of the Arian sect was built near the church, which even temporarily took over the church's benefice. The church was rebuilt and renovated more than once — in 1522, after the first rebuilding; after it burned down in 1655 a temporary church was built; and after 1674 a new one began to be built.
In 1739 a church built of oak logs was erected in Kernavė, which stood for almost two centuries until it was dismantled in 1933 and moved to Krivonys, where it became the Church of St Anthony of Padua in Krivonys.
Construction of the new, present masonry church began in 1910 and finished in 1920, and it was consecrated in 1925. Built in the Gothic Revival style, the church has a tall facade tower, a five-sided apse and sacristies at the sides. Its interior has three vaulted naves, and the churchyard is enclosed by a brick wall with pointed-arch gates. The churchyard also contains two chapels: a wooden one (18th century, now used as a museum of church relics) and a mausoleum chapel (built in 1856, where members of the Riomeris, Puzinas, Lubaneckis and Chrapaveckis families are buried). A monument to Lithuanian soldiers also stands here.
The church is adorned not only by its architecture but also by a significant historical past. At the beginning of the 20th century Father Viktoras Miškinis began holding services in Lithuanian. In 1930–1934 and 1968–1979 the parish priest here was the public figure, writer and promoter of Lithuanian culture Nikodemas Švogžlys-Milžinas, who renovated the church, wrote a history of Kernavė and founded a museum. He was later buried in the churchyard. After the Second World War the Bolsheviks sentenced and exiled parish priest Zenonas Baužys, who died in prison, and sentenced parish priest Kazimieras Pivariūnas to 10 years' imprisonment.
In later years Monsignor Česlovas Krivaitis, parish priest from 1979, renovated the church, built a presbytery and set up a museum. On his initiative, a monument to the 600th anniversary of Lithuania's Christianisation was erected in 1985.
A visit to this church lets one feel the breath of history and see the beauty of its remarkable architecture, which not only adorns Kernavė but also recalls Lithuania's rich religious and cultural past.
The first church in Kernavė was built before 1430. It became an important religious and cultural centre, and its history began with the manor administrator Ona Kareivaitė-Mačkuvienė, who endowed the church and established an altar benefice in 1496. In addition, in 1508 she donated further property to the church. During the Reformation a chapel of the Arian sect was built near the church, which even temporarily took over the church's benefice. The church was rebuilt and renovated more than once — in 1522, after the first rebuilding; after it burned down in 1655 a temporary church was built; and after 1674 a new one began to be built.
In 1739 a church built of oak logs was erected in Kernavė, which stood for almost two centuries until it was dismantled in 1933 and moved to Krivonys, where it became the Church of St Anthony of Padua in Krivonys.
Construction of the new, present masonry church began in 1910 and finished in 1920, and it was consecrated in 1925. Built in the Gothic Revival style, the church has a tall facade tower, a five-sided apse and sacristies at the sides. Its interior has three vaulted naves, and the churchyard is enclosed by a brick wall with pointed-arch gates. The churchyard also contains two chapels: a wooden one (18th century, now used as a museum of church relics) and a mausoleum chapel (built in 1856, where members of the Riomeris, Puzinas, Lubaneckis and Chrapaveckis families are buried). A monument to Lithuanian soldiers also stands here.
The church is adorned not only by its architecture but also by a significant historical past. At the beginning of the 20th century Father Viktoras Miškinis began holding services in Lithuanian. In 1930–1934 and 1968–1979 the parish priest here was the public figure, writer and promoter of Lithuanian culture Nikodemas Švogžlys-Milžinas, who renovated the church, wrote a history of Kernavė and founded a museum. He was later buried in the churchyard. After the Second World War the Bolsheviks sentenced and exiled parish priest Zenonas Baužys, who died in prison, and sentenced parish priest Kazimieras Pivariūnas to 10 years' imprisonment.
In later years Monsignor Česlovas Krivaitis, parish priest from 1979, renovated the church, built a presbytery and set up a museum. On his initiative, a monument to the 600th anniversary of Lithuania's Christianisation was erected in 1985.
A visit to this church lets one feel the breath of history and see the beauty of its remarkable architecture, which not only adorns Kernavė but also recalls Lithuania's rich religious and cultural past.
Gallery and Resources
Archive captions are shown in Lithuanian.
Grupė žmonių lauke. Tolumoje matyti Kernavės Švč. Mergelės Marijos Škaplierinės bažnyčia.
Bažnyčios, pastatytos 1920 m., bendras vaizdas iš toli, pro medžius.