About the Church
The Church of St Michael in Mindaugai stands in the village of Kamšai, on the Alytus–Simnas–Kalvarija road, roughly halfway between Kalvarija and Šeštokai.
The parish was founded in 1941 by the Kalvarija dean Mykolas Krupavičius, and the church was blessed that same summer. The church was fitted out by converting a wooden barrack bought from the German authorities, and fittings from a demolished Orthodox church were used in its interior. The first priest, serving from 1941 to 1943, was Vytautas Demikis (1906–1963). The church was restored in 2014.
The vernacular-style wooden church is on a rectangular plan, with a small turret. The interior is divided by rectangular posts into three aisles, and three altars are fitted. In the churchyard stands a memorial stone to the Salesian priest Pranas Gavėnas (1918–2000).
The parish was founded in 1941 by the Kalvarija dean Mykolas Krupavičius, and the church was blessed that same summer. The church was fitted out by converting a wooden barrack bought from the German authorities, and fittings from a demolished Orthodox church were used in its interior. The first priest, serving from 1941 to 1943, was Vytautas Demikis (1906–1963). The church was restored in 2014.
The vernacular-style wooden church is on a rectangular plan, with a small turret. The interior is divided by rectangular posts into three aisles, and three altars are fitted. In the churchyard stands a memorial stone to the Salesian priest Pranas Gavėnas (1918–2000).