About the Church
The first church was built of wood and represented the style of vernacular architecture, with a cruciform plan and a three-sided apse. A smaller turret stood at the crossing of the roofs, and wooden Stations of the Cross were set up in the churchyard. Bishop Steponas Jonas Giedraitis granted the church parish rights, and later Bishop Juozapas Arnulfas Giedraitis assigned it 2 valakai of land.
Over time the Kriukai church became an important spiritual and cultural centre. During the period of the Lithuanian press ban, the parish priest Kazimieras Marma actively distributed banned Lithuanian-language publications, and even founded a small bookshop and a branch of the Lithuanian Catholic Temperance Society. In 1936 the church was raised in height and a tower was added, further emphasising its importance and grandeur.
Unfortunately, on 14 January 1993 the church of Kriukai was destroyed by a whirlwind. This blow of natural disaster turned the life of the town upside down: the tower's "cap" was torn off, and the roof and interior finish were damaged. After the collapse, the former presbytery, where teachers had once lived and a paramedic post had operated, was adapted for services. The faithful moved to pray in this adjoining building.
After the collapse, a commission appointed by the Joniškis district council decided to demolish the church entirely. As the tower fell it smashed the roof of the main nave, shifted the walls, and destroyed about 70 percent of the building's main structures. It was decided to build a new masonry church on the same site. To this day, local residents remain convinced that the walls of the old church were sturdy enough and that only the tower needed repairing and the roof needed covering.
As preparations for construction got under way, archaeological research was carried out in the summer of 1994. After digging two test pits on the site of the former church and in the churchyard area, human bones were found, testifying to the use of the churchyard as a burial ground. Researchers discovered as many as 125 graves, most of them undisturbed or only slightly disturbed. This find added to the history of the local community's life and traditions.
Although the local community initially collected funds enthusiastically for the construction of the new building, after a couple of years the enthusiasm began to wane and funds ran short, so the work had to be postponed. In the end, the new house of prayer was set up in a building returned to the parish, carried out to the reconstruction design of the architect Valentinas Mazuronis.
Today the Church of St Laurence in Kriukai is not only a sacred place but also a living witness to history, telling of the community's strength and devotion through all its changes and trials. Despite the difficulties, this place remains important not only for its religious functions but also as part of the cultural heritage, preserving the history and spirit of the town of Kriukai.
Gallery and Resources
Archive captions are shown in Lithuanian.
Tarpukario laikotarpio nuotraukoje užfiksuotas Kriukų (Joniškio r.) Šv. Lauryno bažnyčios interjeras ir laidotuvių ceremonija. Nuotraukos kairėje – senasis didysis altorius, pastatytas XIX a. Jį iš šonų supo šv. Petro ir Pauliaus skulptūros. Altoriaus centre pirmame tarpsnyje patalpintas paveikslas „Šv. Šeima“. 1937 m. altorius buvo perstatytas. Nuotraukos dešinėje matomi uždari klauptai ir klausykla. 1993 m. kilusios audros metu bažnyčia sugriuvo ir nebuvo atstatyta.
XVIII a. statyta ir vėliau ne kartą rekonstruota medinė bažnyčia stovėjo šventoriaus centre, priekiniu fasadu orientuota pietvakarių kryptimi. 1936 m. virš priengio iškilo masyvus bokštas. 1993 m. kilusios audros metu bažnyčia sugriuvo ir nebuvo atstatyta. Nuotraukoje matomi mūrinių šventoriaus vartų stulpai su nišomis, kuriose buvo įrengtos Kryžiaus kelio stotys. 1994 m. valant bažnyčios griuvėsius, vartų stulpai buvo nugriauti.