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The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Balbieriškis

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Religious Heritage
Prienai Public Institution

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54.525836, 23.885054

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In the early 16th century, a small estate owned by Hanus Sudarman was established near the Nemunas River, in the Balbieriškis forest. By 1520, the first Catholic Church of St. Peter, a royal foundation, was established in Balbieriškis, with Father Martynas Abramavičius as its first pastor. The parish was granted 2 "valakas" (an old Lithuanian land measurement unit) and 9 "margas" of land. However, the development of the church was challenging, as Prince Jaroslav Holovčinskis, who had estates in the area, transferred the church to the Evangelical Reformed community in the early 17th century. In 1614, the second church built by Holovčinskis remained with the Evangelical Reformers, while disputes with the Catholics continued. After 20 years, Catholics led by the pastor of Merkinė, Father Petras Rasmusavičius, reclaimed the church and rectory, and after 12 years of litigation, became their rightful owners. On August 11, 1655, during the war with Moscow, Russian troops under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich reached Balbieriškis, burning down the estate, the church, the town, and the surrounding villages. Only those who hid in the forests survived. Nineteen years later, Prince Jonas Karolis Czartoryski and his wife Magdalena Kanopacka funded the construction of the third Balbieriškis church. The third church, built in 1678, featured five Baroque-style

altars with ornamental carvings and sculptures of saints. In 1802, the church's interior was further enhanced by a magnificent organ decorated with the coats of arms of Stanislovas and Liudvika Tiškevičius. In the second half of the 19th century, around 1870, Father Baltramiejus Žukauskas enclosed the churchyard with a sturdy stone wall, which still stands today. The third church, which stood for over 200 years, eventually deteriorated, with its roof leaking, necessitating the construction of a fourth church. Most of the interior elements from the old church were transferred to the fourth wooden church, consecrated in 1888 under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary and designed by Bronislovas Žochovskis. The new building had a Neo-Gothic style and preserved a valuable ensemble of 17th-century wood carvings and paintings. The fourth church was destroyed by a fire on the night of August 8, 2013. Since then, holy masses were held in the Balbieriškis Cultural and Leisure Center and the chapel of the parish house. Funds were raised for the construction of a new church, with active support from the Vilkaviškis Diocese, priests, believers, and locals. Benefactor Arvydas Paukštys helped bring the project to fruition, and on March 3, 2018, the new, fifth church in Balbieriškis was consecrated, designed by architect Vilius Urbonas.

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