About the Church
The Church of St Monica in Ryliškiai is not only a religious building but also a living historical witness, whose walls recall many dramatic events and the lives of significant people.
The first chapel in Ryliškiai was built on the initiative of Father Juozapas Čaplikas in 1918. Father Čaplikas, having inherited half a valakas of land in his home area, built a wooden chapel here and began holding services. Just six years later, in 1924, the parish was established on this site, marking an important step towards the creation of a stable religious community.
In 1932 a new masonry church was built. This house of prayer became a spiritual refuge for the local residents. The tragic events of the Second World War did not spare Ryliškiai either. On 24–25 December 1944, during the Klepočiai tragedy, when Soviet soldiers rampaged and burned homesteads, people hid in the church, seeking protection from the ravages of war.
At that time, parish priest Juozas Stasiūnas, who worked in the parish of Ryliškiai, bravely condemned the rampages carried out by the Bolsheviks. For this act he was sentenced in 1947 to ten years' imprisonment and exiled, but returned to Lithuania in 1955.
Unfortunately, in early 1953 the church was burned down by an NKVD agent named Paltarackas. This was a deliberate act – the doors were broken open, petrol was poured out and the church was set alight. After this incident, services were held for a time at a farmer's homestead in the village of Klepočiai, and from 1983 at the cemetery of Bugoniai. The local authorities forbade the rebuilding of the church for a long time and obstructed religious activity.
Finally, in 1989 permission was obtained to build a new church, and it was consecrated in 1993. The new church stands as a symbol of faith and perseverance, recalling all the sufferings and triumphs endured.
Today the Church of St Monica in Ryliškiai is not only a place of prayer but also an important heritage site, bearing witness to the region's history and the spirituality of its people.
The first chapel in Ryliškiai was built on the initiative of Father Juozapas Čaplikas in 1918. Father Čaplikas, having inherited half a valakas of land in his home area, built a wooden chapel here and began holding services. Just six years later, in 1924, the parish was established on this site, marking an important step towards the creation of a stable religious community.
In 1932 a new masonry church was built. This house of prayer became a spiritual refuge for the local residents. The tragic events of the Second World War did not spare Ryliškiai either. On 24–25 December 1944, during the Klepočiai tragedy, when Soviet soldiers rampaged and burned homesteads, people hid in the church, seeking protection from the ravages of war.
At that time, parish priest Juozas Stasiūnas, who worked in the parish of Ryliškiai, bravely condemned the rampages carried out by the Bolsheviks. For this act he was sentenced in 1947 to ten years' imprisonment and exiled, but returned to Lithuania in 1955.
Unfortunately, in early 1953 the church was burned down by an NKVD agent named Paltarackas. This was a deliberate act – the doors were broken open, petrol was poured out and the church was set alight. After this incident, services were held for a time at a farmer's homestead in the village of Klepočiai, and from 1983 at the cemetery of Bugoniai. The local authorities forbade the rebuilding of the church for a long time and obstructed religious activity.
Finally, in 1989 permission was obtained to build a new church, and it was consecrated in 1993. The new church stands as a symbol of faith and perseverance, recalling all the sufferings and triumphs endured.
Today the Church of St Monica in Ryliškiai is not only a place of prayer but also an important heritage site, bearing witness to the region's history and the spirituality of its people.