About the Church
The church's history began in the early 20th century, when, in order to circumvent the prohibitions of the tsarist authorities, local Catholics built a large house in 1902–1904 and converted it into a chapel. The chapel was officially recognised in 1904, and by 1906 it had become part of a smaller church with a resident priest.
After the parish was established in 1928, construction of a new masonry church began, carried out from 1930 to a design by Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. The church was consecrated on 2 August 1936 by Bishop Justinas Staugaitis. In 1943 it was decorated by the well-known artist Rimtas Kalpokas.
Architecturally, the church has a rectangular plan with a single tall tower. The interior is three-aisled, with lower side aisles. A steeply truncated tower with a stepped niche projects at the centre of the main facade. The facades are decorated with paired pilaster strips and tall, narrow rectangular windows.
The church interior contains four altars. The high altar and the side altars of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Anthony of Padua are of a single tier. In 1958 a statue created by Kazys Švažas was placed on the high altar, replacing the earlier sculptural group of the Crucified Christ with St Mary Magdalene, which was moved to a new altar on the side of the church.
In 2012, when Fr Donatas Stulpinas became parish priest, the church was restored to the design originally created by the architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. The "Pietà" — a sculpture of the crucified Christ with St Mary Magdalene kneeling at his feet — was returned to the high altar. The church walls were also repainted, underfloor heating and new sound equipment were installed, and the images of the four evangelists on the pulpit were restored.
Today the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Mažeikiai is not only a spiritual centre but also an important part of the cultural and architectural heritage, bearing witness to Lithuania's rich and varied religious history.
Gallery and Resources
Archive captions are shown in Lithuanian.
Nespalvota, vertikalaus formato, dokumentinė nuotrauka. Konsekruotos Švč. Jėzaus Širdies bažnyčios Mažeikiuose bendras vaizdas iš pietvakarių pusės. Apačioje fotografiniu būdu atspaustas užrašas: „Mažeikių bažnyčia / 1936-VIII-2 d.“. Apačioje yra siaura balta paraštė. Nuotraukos kraštai lygūs, kampai – suapvalinti. Nugarinė pusė horizontalaus formato, skersinės ištisinės linijos padalinta į laiško ir gavėjo adreso laukus. Ties linijos viduriu esančiame tarpe išspausdintas fotografinio popieriaus gamintojo pavadinimas: „Argenta“. Adreso vietą žymi 4 punktyrinės ir 1 pastorinta ištisinė išilginės linijos.
Nuo 1904 m. Mažeikiuose veikė Viekšnių parapijos filija. 1928 m. įkūrus Mažeikių parapiją, pagal architekto Vytauto Landsbergio-Žemkalnio projektą 1930 m. pradėta statyti mūrinė stačiakampio plano, trinavė, vienbokštė bažnyčia, kurią 1936-08-02 konsekravo Žemaičių vyskupas Justinas Staugaitis.
Ką tik pašventintos Švč. Jėzaus Širdies bažnyčios Mažeikiuose bendras vaizdas iš pietvakarių pusės.