About the Church
The church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at Gelgaudiškis stands in the small town of Gelgaudiškis, about 800 metres south of the Nemunas, in the Šakiai Deanery. The brick Gothic Revival church, with one main tower and three smaller towers, is distinguished by its single-nave, rectangular-plan space.
The history of the church goes back to the 16th century: around 1578 Povilas Sapiega built a wooden church, at first a filial church of the Zapyškis parish. In 1691 Kazimieras Ozemblovskis built a new wooden church, but it burned down in 1864.
The present masonry church was raised in 1866–1868. In the 19th century a parish school operated beside it, and in 1977–1978 the priest Gintautas Skučas carried out major renovation works. The tall Gothic Revival towers remain to this day one of the most striking features shaping the silhouette of Gelgaudiškis on the Nemunas.
The history of the church goes back to the 16th century: around 1578 Povilas Sapiega built a wooden church, at first a filial church of the Zapyškis parish. In 1691 Kazimieras Ozemblovskis built a new wooden church, but it burned down in 1864.
The present masonry church was raised in 1866–1868. In the 19th century a parish school operated beside it, and in 1977–1978 the priest Gintautas Skučas carried out major renovation works. The tall Gothic Revival towers remain to this day one of the most striking features shaping the silhouette of Gelgaudiškis on the Nemunas.