About the Church
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Kazlų Rūda stands in the town of Kazlų Rūda, near the Kaunas–Kybartai railway, about 500 metres west of the railway station. It is a distinctive wooden church born of the determination of the interwar community.
The parish was established in 1922, and on 22 April of that year Kazys Bičkauskas was appointed the first parish priest. At first services were held in an adapted former railway school building. The present church was built in 1924–1925 from the wooden barracks of the Saratov barracks in Alytus, to a design by the engineer Stasys Kimonas. The first services there were held on 8 November 1925.
The church is distinguished by its half-timbered (cross-frame) construction, whose diagonal beams create a decorative pattern. The two-towered building is crowned with pyramidal roof caps and wrought-iron crosses. Some of the metalwork – the crosses and the altar grilles – was forged by the local blacksmith Jurgis Martinaitis.
The parish was established in 1922, and on 22 April of that year Kazys Bičkauskas was appointed the first parish priest. At first services were held in an adapted former railway school building. The present church was built in 1924–1925 from the wooden barracks of the Saratov barracks in Alytus, to a design by the engineer Stasys Kimonas. The first services there were held on 8 November 1925.
The church is distinguished by its half-timbered (cross-frame) construction, whose diagonal beams create a decorative pattern. The two-towered building is crowned with pyramidal roof caps and wrought-iron crosses. Some of the metalwork – the crosses and the altar grilles – was forged by the local blacksmith Jurgis Martinaitis.
Gallery and Resources
