About the Church
St Joseph's Church at Vaškai is a distinctive and historically significant church, situated in the small town of Vaškai, in the Diocese of Panevėžys. It is a fine example of late-19th-century Lithuanian architecture, reflecting the Historicist style with elements of Romanesque and Classicism.
The church's history begins as far back as the 17th century. The first wooden chapel was built around 1665, when the priest from Saločiai would come occasionally to hold services. This was a difficult period – wars with Sweden and plague epidemics forced most of the region's religious buildings to be abandoned, and church furnishings were taken away to safer places.
In 1766 Andriejus Staševskis built a new wooden church, which became a parish church once it had gained parish rights and a resident priest settled at Vaškai. The new church had a cruciform plan, and a wooden bell tower with three bells was built beside it. A parish school was also established at that time, which operated right up to the era of tsarist Russia.
At the end of the 19th century it was decided to build the present masonry church. On the initiative of the parish priest Bronius Stasevičius and with the support of local landowners, the church was completed in 1881. Architecturally it is a two-tower building of red brick, with a rectangular plan (43 by 17 metres) and a three-aisled interior with a vaulted roof. Inside are five altars, which were supplemented in 1887–1890. The Bishop of Samogitia, Mečislovas Paliulionis, consecrated the church in 1894.
During the First World War the church suffered losses – its bells were taken away to Russia. But after the war the church recovered: in 1932 a new bronze bell was bought, and in 1934 the building was covered with sheet metal. In 1938 the parish priest Jonas Didžiulis, together with parishioners, carried out a major renovation, which helped to preserve the church's structural integrity and aesthetic beauty.
The churchyard of St Joseph's Church at Vaškai also has its own charm — a stone masonry wall and crypts, in which eight people are buried, among them the church's builder, the parish priest and prelate B. Stasevičius. Beside the church is also a cemetery plot, where the long-serving parish priest Vytautas Antanas Jasiūnas was buried.
Today St Joseph's Church at Vaškai is not merely a house of prayer; it is a cultural and historical heritage site, testifying to the strength and faithfulness of the local community to its traditions.
The church's history begins as far back as the 17th century. The first wooden chapel was built around 1665, when the priest from Saločiai would come occasionally to hold services. This was a difficult period – wars with Sweden and plague epidemics forced most of the region's religious buildings to be abandoned, and church furnishings were taken away to safer places.
In 1766 Andriejus Staševskis built a new wooden church, which became a parish church once it had gained parish rights and a resident priest settled at Vaškai. The new church had a cruciform plan, and a wooden bell tower with three bells was built beside it. A parish school was also established at that time, which operated right up to the era of tsarist Russia.
At the end of the 19th century it was decided to build the present masonry church. On the initiative of the parish priest Bronius Stasevičius and with the support of local landowners, the church was completed in 1881. Architecturally it is a two-tower building of red brick, with a rectangular plan (43 by 17 metres) and a three-aisled interior with a vaulted roof. Inside are five altars, which were supplemented in 1887–1890. The Bishop of Samogitia, Mečislovas Paliulionis, consecrated the church in 1894.
During the First World War the church suffered losses – its bells were taken away to Russia. But after the war the church recovered: in 1932 a new bronze bell was bought, and in 1934 the building was covered with sheet metal. In 1938 the parish priest Jonas Didžiulis, together with parishioners, carried out a major renovation, which helped to preserve the church's structural integrity and aesthetic beauty.
The churchyard of St Joseph's Church at Vaškai also has its own charm — a stone masonry wall and crypts, in which eight people are buried, among them the church's builder, the parish priest and prelate B. Stasevičius. Beside the church is also a cemetery plot, where the long-serving parish priest Vytautas Antanas Jasiūnas was buried.
Today St Joseph's Church at Vaškai is not merely a house of prayer; it is a cultural and historical heritage site, testifying to the strength and faithfulness of the local community to its traditions.
Gallery and Resources
Archive captions are shown in Lithuanian.
Vaškų miestelio panorama iš tolo. Negatyvo centre matoma Vaškų Šv. Juozapo bažnyčia.