Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Salantai

Contents

The Salantai Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary[1] is a Roman Catholic church in the town of Salantai, Lithuania. It is run by the Deanery of Palanga.

History

Precursor to the church

Before the construction of the Salantai Church, the governor of Salantai and horseman of Sigismund III Vasa, Mikalojus Pasamovskis, founded a small church in the village of Skilandžiai. In 1603, Bishop Merkelis Giedraitis consecrated the church under the town of Mosėdis.[2][3]

Construction of the church

In 1630, Pasamovskis wished to construct a larger church in Salantai under the name of "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary". He hoped to influence peasants in the region to convert to Catholicism after a large number converted to Protestantism during the Reformation. The church was constructed in 1631 with Bishop Merkelis Eliaševičius Geišas consecrating it.[3]

Reconstructions

By 1724, the church fell into disrepair and a new one was constructed in its place by landowner Vladislovas Vaina and Kazimieras Dominykas Oginskis. It was consecrated in 1750 by Bishop Antanas Tiškevičius. In documents, it was described as having a large wooden nave with a Renaissance-style multi-tiered tower and a five-walled apse in Gothic style. Inside was a large organ, several bells, and displayed church vestments. From the ceiling hung a crystal chandelier. A marble memorial of Vaina was placed in front of the altar after he died in 1649. The church had a catacomb where some of the priests were buried.[4]

The church was again repaired in 1848. New altars were constructed in 1860.[5] In 1902, architect Karlas Edvardas Strandmanas proposed another reconstruction project to replace most of the old wooden nave with brick. In 1903, pastor A. Neverdauskas began collecting donations for this reconstruction, buying stones for the foundations.[6] In 1906, the old wooden nave was demolished and reconstruction began.[7] In 1911, the reconstruction project was complete. The church's ownership was given to the Deanery of Skuodas.

Architecture

The church follows a neo-Gothic style. It contains three naves with a transept and an apse. Two towers topped with spires protrude above the transept. Neo-Gothic benches decorate the inside auditoriums and wooden altars dedicated to historical members of the parish.[8]

A 17th-century painting of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus is depicted inside. Another painting titled the Holy Virgin Mary of Sorrows sits inside the transept, made in the 19th century.[8]

References

  1. 1.Lithuanian: Salantų Švč. Mergelės Marijos Ėmimo į dangų bažnyčia
  2. 2.Juzumas, Vincetas (2013). Žemaičių vyskupijos aprašymas (in Lithuanian). Varniai: Samogitian Diocese Museum. pp. 383–384. ISBN 978-609-95591-0-0.
  3. 3.[3.2]Kviklys, Bronius (1991). Mūsų Lietuva (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Lietuvių enciklopedijos leidykla. pp. 326–330.
  4. 4.Misius, Kazys; Šinkūnas, Romualdas (1991). Lietuvos katalikų bažnyčios (in Lithuanian). pp. 378–379.
  5. 5.Misius, Kazys (2011). Iš Salantų bažnyčios ir parapijos istorijos. Iš Salantų bažnyčia: istorija, meno vertybės ir žmonės (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Vilnius Academy of Arts. pp. 36–41.
  6. 6."Šventosios Švč. Mergelės Marijos, Jūrų Žvaigždės parapija". Telšių Vyskupija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  7. 7.Petrauskas, Vytautas (21 August 1998). "Salantų parapijai – 395 metai". Pajūrio naujienos (in Lithuanian).
  8. 8.[8.2]"Religinė architektūra – įdomesnė turistams, nei architektams?". Structum (in Lithuanian). 27 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2026.