About the Church
The chapel at Plieniškiai is a 19th-century masonry cemetery chapel standing in the cemetery of Plieniškiai village, about 5 km north of Šakiai. It belongs to the parish of St John the Baptist in Šakiai, in the Šakiai Deanery of the Diocese of Vilkaviškis.
The chapel was built after the cemetery operating in the town of Šakiai was divided between the Jewish and Lutheran communities, leaving Catholics in need of a separate burial place. It is said that the dead were carried to Plieniškiai in a horse-drawn cart over a distance of as much as 5 km, accompanied by drummers whose rhythmic beats echoed far and wide.
A small altar is set up at the far end of the chapel, and there is also a confessional. In 2022 the building was carefully renovated: the foundations were reinforced, decayed timber and brick were replaced, the walls repainted, and the confessional and altar restored.
The chapel was built after the cemetery operating in the town of Šakiai was divided between the Jewish and Lutheran communities, leaving Catholics in need of a separate burial place. It is said that the dead were carried to Plieniškiai in a horse-drawn cart over a distance of as much as 5 km, accompanied by drummers whose rhythmic beats echoed far and wide.
A small altar is set up at the far end of the chapel, and there is also a confessional. In 2022 the building was carefully renovated: the foundations were reinforced, decayed timber and brick were replaced, the walls repainted, and the confessional and altar restored.