About the Church
The Church of St George in Girkalnis is an impressive shrine rich in history, standing in the small town of Girkalnis, Raseiniai district. Its history spans several centuries and is steeped in legends and dramatic events.
A legend is told that the first church was built by a lord named Jurgis. According to it, Jurgis, praying for God's help, was miraculously defended from wolves that attacked him in the forest where Girkalnis now stands. This legend reflects not only the people's faith but also their bond with nature and with the place.
Girkalnis has been an important place since ancient times. Until 1842 it belonged to the Bishops of Samogitia. The first church there was built before 1613, and a parish was established as early as 1622. In the same year the general inventory of the Bishop of Samogitia's table mentioned the need to repair the church, showing that even then it was already old and in need of renovation.
In 1744 a new wooden church was built here, whose timbers were replaced more than eighty years later, in 1826. The Girkalnis parish held a fair amount of land — as much as two valakai and six margai. The parish priest at the time received a solid annual salary of 103.5 roubles.
However, at the end of the 19th century the church suffered a major blow — on 20 August 1890 it was set alight by lightning. Although the parishioners wanted to build a new masonry church, the Governor of Kaunas did not allow it. Only in 1896 was permission granted to build a wooden church. The cruciform shrine was built and consecrated in 1898, under the supervision of the architect Nikolajus Andrejevas.
Unfortunately, the church burned down again in 1944. Places of worship were temporarily set up in various locations, and in 1971 the parish priest Prosperas Bubnys was sentenced to a year's imprisonment for catechising children.
Finally, in 1990 construction began on a new Church of St George in Girkalnis, to a design by the architect Feliksas Sakalauskas, and it was completed in 1991. Today the church stands as a symbol of the community's strength, faith and endurance through all the difficult periods of history.
This church not only offers spiritual support to its parishioners but also preserves the long, centuries-old history of the place, recalling the challenges and triumphs of the past.
A legend is told that the first church was built by a lord named Jurgis. According to it, Jurgis, praying for God's help, was miraculously defended from wolves that attacked him in the forest where Girkalnis now stands. This legend reflects not only the people's faith but also their bond with nature and with the place.
Girkalnis has been an important place since ancient times. Until 1842 it belonged to the Bishops of Samogitia. The first church there was built before 1613, and a parish was established as early as 1622. In the same year the general inventory of the Bishop of Samogitia's table mentioned the need to repair the church, showing that even then it was already old and in need of renovation.
In 1744 a new wooden church was built here, whose timbers were replaced more than eighty years later, in 1826. The Girkalnis parish held a fair amount of land — as much as two valakai and six margai. The parish priest at the time received a solid annual salary of 103.5 roubles.
However, at the end of the 19th century the church suffered a major blow — on 20 August 1890 it was set alight by lightning. Although the parishioners wanted to build a new masonry church, the Governor of Kaunas did not allow it. Only in 1896 was permission granted to build a wooden church. The cruciform shrine was built and consecrated in 1898, under the supervision of the architect Nikolajus Andrejevas.
Unfortunately, the church burned down again in 1944. Places of worship were temporarily set up in various locations, and in 1971 the parish priest Prosperas Bubnys was sentenced to a year's imprisonment for catechising children.
Finally, in 1990 construction began on a new Church of St George in Girkalnis, to a design by the architect Feliksas Sakalauskas, and it was completed in 1991. Today the church stands as a symbol of the community's strength, faith and endurance through all the difficult periods of history.
This church not only offers spiritual support to its parishioners but also preserves the long, centuries-old history of the place, recalling the challenges and triumphs of the past.
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