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Marijampolė Deanery

Kalvarijos Švč. Mergelės Marijos Vardo bažnyčia

Built 1840 Age 186 yr Coord. 54.4134, 23.2309
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About the Church

The Church of the Holy Name of Mary in Kalvarija rises in the town centre, on the left bank of the Šešupė. The Classicist church is one of the most striking features of Kalvarija's architecture and an important centre of the region's religious life.

The first church was built in 1705 by the priest Jonas Sabaliauskas, under the patronage of Mykolas Juozapas Sapiega, and the parish was established in 1728. Around 1770 the building was extended with two towers and a porch, but in 1818 it was devastated by a storm. The present masonry church was built in 1838–1840 and consecrated in 1843 by Bishop Povilas Strašinskis; in 1902 it was extended with side aisles and new towers.

The Classicist plastered-masonry building is on a rectangular plan, with two towers and a three-aisled interior. The church is connected with the prominent clergyman and public figure Mykolas Krupavičius, who served here as dean from 1935 to 1942; in 1942 the Nazis deported him for attempting to save Jews. War damage was repaired in 1948–1959.

Gallery and Resources

Archive captions are shown in Lithuanian.