About the Church
Our Lady, Queen of Angels Church at Kyburiai is a remarkable church standing in the village of Kyburiai, near Vaškai, in the Diocese of Panevėžys. It is one of the few wooden churches in the region whose history reaches back to the 18th century.
The first chapel at the Kyburiai manor was built as early as 1762. However, this chapel did not survive for long — after the uprising of 1831 the manor's owner was exiled to Russia, and the chapel was pulled down by a new landowner of the Reformed faith. The Catholic community did not lose heart and built another chapel in the cemetery of the Majėnai manor, but this building too met an unhappy fate — after 1863 the chapel was moved to the cemetery at Saločiai. During the First World War it was moved again, to the small cemetery at Kyburiai, where it served the local Catholics for some time longer.
Only in 1926, on the initiative of the priest Aleksandras Štrombergas, was permission obtained to build a new church. Construction began that same autumn, under the direction of the curate of Saločiai, Juozapas Savukaitis. The church was built to a design by the renowned architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis and was consecrated on 4 December 1927. The parish was also established that same year.
Between 1934 and 1938 the church was led by the priest Vladislovas Kupstas, who took care of the interior fittings: he installed three altars, a pulpit, pews and a confessional, bought a bell, and had the churchyard walled. He also established a second cemetery and put the parish farmstead in order. Later the priest Steponas Pelešynas further provided the church with liturgical vestments and carried out repair work.
Architecturally the church at Kyburiai has a rectangular plan, with several annexes and one main tower with four smaller turrets. The church is notable for its simplicity and elegance — its facade is decorated with subtle wooden ornamentation, and the churchyard fence is built of stone and concrete masonry. The three altars inside are in the traditional Lithuanian style, lending the interior a particular sense of cosiness and spirituality.
Today Our Lady, Queen of Angels Church at Kyburiai is important not only as a religious centre but also as a piece of cultural heritage, preserving the memory of past generations and bearing witness to the history of local people's faith.
The first chapel at the Kyburiai manor was built as early as 1762. However, this chapel did not survive for long — after the uprising of 1831 the manor's owner was exiled to Russia, and the chapel was pulled down by a new landowner of the Reformed faith. The Catholic community did not lose heart and built another chapel in the cemetery of the Majėnai manor, but this building too met an unhappy fate — after 1863 the chapel was moved to the cemetery at Saločiai. During the First World War it was moved again, to the small cemetery at Kyburiai, where it served the local Catholics for some time longer.
Only in 1926, on the initiative of the priest Aleksandras Štrombergas, was permission obtained to build a new church. Construction began that same autumn, under the direction of the curate of Saločiai, Juozapas Savukaitis. The church was built to a design by the renowned architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis and was consecrated on 4 December 1927. The parish was also established that same year.
Between 1934 and 1938 the church was led by the priest Vladislovas Kupstas, who took care of the interior fittings: he installed three altars, a pulpit, pews and a confessional, bought a bell, and had the churchyard walled. He also established a second cemetery and put the parish farmstead in order. Later the priest Steponas Pelešynas further provided the church with liturgical vestments and carried out repair work.
Architecturally the church at Kyburiai has a rectangular plan, with several annexes and one main tower with four smaller turrets. The church is notable for its simplicity and elegance — its facade is decorated with subtle wooden ornamentation, and the churchyard fence is built of stone and concrete masonry. The three altars inside are in the traditional Lithuanian style, lending the interior a particular sense of cosiness and spirituality.
Today Our Lady, Queen of Angels Church at Kyburiai is important not only as a religious centre but also as a piece of cultural heritage, preserving the memory of past generations and bearing witness to the history of local people's faith.