About the Church
Imagine being in the small town of Bazilionai, where the tranquillity of nature and history merge into a single harmony. Here, on the bank of the Deglė, a right tributary of the Dubysa, stands the Church of St Basil the Great in Bazilionai – a special place steeped in centuries of history.
The church's history begins in the 18th century, when Jonas and Antanas Beinoras, owners of the Padubysys mill, invited Basilian monks in 1749 and built the first church. The monks not only worshipped God but also took care of education: a higher parish school was soon founded at the monastery, later reorganised into a four-grade district school. By the end of the 18th century the monastery owned not only the small town of Bazilionai but also the village of Mekiai, with 19 valakai of land.
The early 19th century brought change. The single-storey wooden buildings – the monastery and the school – gradually lost their function; the school was closed in 1835, and the monastery met the same fate a year later. The church soon passed to the Orthodox, who in 1900 approved a design for a new church there. However, after the First World War, in 1918, the church was returned to the Catholics, and the first Catholic Mass was celebrated on 8 September. Interestingly, the current wooden church we see today was not built until 1933.
Architecturally the Bazilionai church is distinctive for its vernacular architectural forms with elements of classicism. It was built to a rectangular plan, with a tall plinth, a five-sided apse and a low turret. It is single-naved, which gives it a sense of modesty and simplicity. In the churchyard stands a registered wayside pillar – another important piece of cultural heritage.
In 2019 the church marked its 270th anniversary. It was an occasion to remember all those years and the people who contributed to the survival and care of this sacred place. The Church of St Basil the Great in Bazilionai remains to this day not only an architectural monument but also a centre of the local community's spiritual life.
The church's history begins in the 18th century, when Jonas and Antanas Beinoras, owners of the Padubysys mill, invited Basilian monks in 1749 and built the first church. The monks not only worshipped God but also took care of education: a higher parish school was soon founded at the monastery, later reorganised into a four-grade district school. By the end of the 18th century the monastery owned not only the small town of Bazilionai but also the village of Mekiai, with 19 valakai of land.
The early 19th century brought change. The single-storey wooden buildings – the monastery and the school – gradually lost their function; the school was closed in 1835, and the monastery met the same fate a year later. The church soon passed to the Orthodox, who in 1900 approved a design for a new church there. However, after the First World War, in 1918, the church was returned to the Catholics, and the first Catholic Mass was celebrated on 8 September. Interestingly, the current wooden church we see today was not built until 1933.
Architecturally the Bazilionai church is distinctive for its vernacular architectural forms with elements of classicism. It was built to a rectangular plan, with a tall plinth, a five-sided apse and a low turret. It is single-naved, which gives it a sense of modesty and simplicity. In the churchyard stands a registered wayside pillar – another important piece of cultural heritage.
In 2019 the church marked its 270th anniversary. It was an occasion to remember all those years and the people who contributed to the survival and care of this sacred place. The Church of St Basil the Great in Bazilionai remains to this day not only an architectural monument but also a centre of the local community's spiritual life.
Gallery and Resources
Archive captions are shown in Lithuanian.
Kompozicijoje – tarp aukštų medžių Bazilionų Šv. Bazilijaus Didžiojo bažnyčia.
Signuotas pieštuku reverse.