About the Church
The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Panevėžys is not only a place of religious worship but also a wonderful example of Modernist architecture, holding within it a rich history and cultural value.
The Marian Fathers began their mission in Panevėžys in 1927, settling by the Church of the Holy Trinity. Later, in 1939, this community of religious expanded its activity and built a new chapel and a novitiate building, on the initiative of general A. Cikota and the priest St. Mažeika. The project was led by the talented engineer Antanas Gargasas. On 15 August, the feast of the Assumption (Žolinė), Bishop Kazimieras Paltarokas blessed the chapel, giving it the name of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Sadly, during the Soviet occupation the Marian Fathers' monastery was closed and the chapel was nationalised. From 1947 archive storerooms were set up there, and from 1980 an art school. But with the revival of Lithuania's independence the monastery and chapel were returned to the Church, renovated and reconsecrated in 1992. The restoration was overseen by the priest Robertas Pukenis.
Despite these changes, the Marian Fathers decided in 2010 to leave Panevėžys because of their dwindling numbers, and handed over all the premises to the Diocese of Panevėžys. Since then the chapel has been cared for by diocesan priests.
Architecturally, this chapel is a unique example of the Modernist style. The building is rectangular, three-naved, with a semicircular apse in plan. Plastered brick-masonry walls and a multi-pitched roof with red ceramic tiles give the building solidity and elegance. The facades are complemented by profiled plastered cornices, and the interior is adorned with rectangular door and window openings and a round rose-window opening in the north facade.
Inside the chapel, attention is drawn to the reinforced-concrete floor slabs and piers, which support the vaults and the organ loft. All this creates a special sense of space and helps maintain the sacred atmosphere.
Today the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Panevėžys remains an important centre of religious and cultural life in the city of Panevėžys, bearing witness to the links between past and present and to people's steadfast spirituality.
The Marian Fathers began their mission in Panevėžys in 1927, settling by the Church of the Holy Trinity. Later, in 1939, this community of religious expanded its activity and built a new chapel and a novitiate building, on the initiative of general A. Cikota and the priest St. Mažeika. The project was led by the talented engineer Antanas Gargasas. On 15 August, the feast of the Assumption (Žolinė), Bishop Kazimieras Paltarokas blessed the chapel, giving it the name of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Sadly, during the Soviet occupation the Marian Fathers' monastery was closed and the chapel was nationalised. From 1947 archive storerooms were set up there, and from 1980 an art school. But with the revival of Lithuania's independence the monastery and chapel were returned to the Church, renovated and reconsecrated in 1992. The restoration was overseen by the priest Robertas Pukenis.
Despite these changes, the Marian Fathers decided in 2010 to leave Panevėžys because of their dwindling numbers, and handed over all the premises to the Diocese of Panevėžys. Since then the chapel has been cared for by diocesan priests.
Architecturally, this chapel is a unique example of the Modernist style. The building is rectangular, three-naved, with a semicircular apse in plan. Plastered brick-masonry walls and a multi-pitched roof with red ceramic tiles give the building solidity and elegance. The facades are complemented by profiled plastered cornices, and the interior is adorned with rectangular door and window openings and a round rose-window opening in the north facade.
Inside the chapel, attention is drawn to the reinforced-concrete floor slabs and piers, which support the vaults and the organ loft. All this creates a special sense of space and helps maintain the sacred atmosphere.
Today the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Panevėžys remains an important centre of religious and cultural life in the city of Panevėžys, bearing witness to the links between past and present and to people's steadfast spirituality.