About the Church
The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows at Gedžiūnėliai is a unique and inspiring religious monument, standing in the village of Gedžiūnėliai, in Ignalina district. This building, surrounded by a cemetery, is not only an oasis of spiritual peace but also a witness to the community's history.
The church's history began in 1921, when the first cemetery chapel was built. This was a building of simple architecture – an elongated house with a pitched roof and windows divided into three sections. At first this chapel served the local people as a place of prayer, where services were held only once a month. The situation changed in 1931, when services became regular, even though Archbishop Romuald Jałbrzykowski demanded that they be held in Polish, a demand the local people resisted.
After the return of the Vilnius region to Lithuania in 1939, the Daugėliškis parish was split in two because of the newly created state border. Many people moved to the Republic of Lithuania at that time, among them the priest Petras Budra, who from 1939 began celebrating Holy Mass in the village of Garšvinė and in the chapel at Gedžiūnėliai. Karolis Gumbaragis, who succeeded him as priest, took the initiative to strengthen the parish, and in 1941 Gedžiūnėliai became a separate parish.
In 1943 the present church was built, adapting the building of the old chapel. Its architecture takes the form of a traditional dwelling house, on a rectangular plan, with a single tower and a single nave. The church also has a small bell turret, an attached sacristy and a three-sided apse. The main entrance is set in a glazed porch, and the whole churchyard is enclosed by a stone fence with iron gates.
The church is notable for its interior, which was restored after 1966 through the efforts of the priest Jonas Kardelis. It contains a carved wooden altar, Stations of the Cross, confessionals and candlesticks made by the woodcarver Kazimieras Šėža of Utena.
In 2021 the parish marked the hundredth anniversary of the building of the cemetery chapel and the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the parish. This centenary marks not only the passage of time but also the community's strength and faithfulness to its beliefs and traditions.
The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows at Gedžiūnėliai is not only a work of architecture and art but also a living place of community gathering, where people find comfort, peace and strength of faith.
The church's history began in 1921, when the first cemetery chapel was built. This was a building of simple architecture – an elongated house with a pitched roof and windows divided into three sections. At first this chapel served the local people as a place of prayer, where services were held only once a month. The situation changed in 1931, when services became regular, even though Archbishop Romuald Jałbrzykowski demanded that they be held in Polish, a demand the local people resisted.
After the return of the Vilnius region to Lithuania in 1939, the Daugėliškis parish was split in two because of the newly created state border. Many people moved to the Republic of Lithuania at that time, among them the priest Petras Budra, who from 1939 began celebrating Holy Mass in the village of Garšvinė and in the chapel at Gedžiūnėliai. Karolis Gumbaragis, who succeeded him as priest, took the initiative to strengthen the parish, and in 1941 Gedžiūnėliai became a separate parish.
In 1943 the present church was built, adapting the building of the old chapel. Its architecture takes the form of a traditional dwelling house, on a rectangular plan, with a single tower and a single nave. The church also has a small bell turret, an attached sacristy and a three-sided apse. The main entrance is set in a glazed porch, and the whole churchyard is enclosed by a stone fence with iron gates.
The church is notable for its interior, which was restored after 1966 through the efforts of the priest Jonas Kardelis. It contains a carved wooden altar, Stations of the Cross, confessionals and candlesticks made by the woodcarver Kazimieras Šėža of Utena.
In 2021 the parish marked the hundredth anniversary of the building of the cemetery chapel and the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the parish. This centenary marks not only the passage of time but also the community's strength and faithfulness to its beliefs and traditions.
The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows at Gedžiūnėliai is not only a work of architecture and art but also a living place of community gathering, where people find comfort, peace and strength of faith.