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Vilkija St. George Church
Highlands
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Kaunas district
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Vilkija
5.0
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5.0
Vilkija St. George Church
10
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© Audrius Mielkus
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The dominant attraction of the Nemunas valley and the most prominent accent of Vilkija is Saint George Church. It is impossible to overlook when traveling in Kaunas District. Scattered on a unique hillside, the houses of Vilkija residents and the 35 meter high red brick towers of the church, rising above the tops of green trees, invite visitors to this urban monument and find out the history of the creation of the prayer house.

"No church can be built in a pocket. Synagogues need river water. We need mountains and clouds. The church is not a warehouse. It has to show the way to the sky " - these are the words of priest Butkus which were one of the reasons that determined to the location of Saint George Church. In 1525 the first building of the town's prayer house constructed was wooden and stood at the crossroads of the most important streets of Vilkija, next to the market square. Still, the town itself was located not in the present place on the hill, but in Panemunė, on the lower terrace and slope of the Nemunas valley and on the slope. After the old church burned down in 1892, in 1901 it was decided to construct a new prayer house on the hill.

The church was being constructed by three generations of priests, and each of them fulfilled the predecessor's wish: to build a house of prayer closer to heaven. Priest Butkus was replaced by Kazimieras Bučnys, but due to his early death in 1906, his works were overtaken by the energetic priest Stanislovas Bačkis.

Having found an empty parish cashier and unsatisfied members of the community, priest Bačkis began to seek funds for the construction of the church. Having founded several brickworks in the neighbouring villages, the works have moved forward. After seeing the parishioners' enthusiasm and the sincere work of priest Bačkis, sponsors were found. Famous public figures of the time, such as Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Maironis and Antanas Smetona, contributed to the construction of the church.
Even during the First World War, priest Bačkis managed to protect Saint George Church and all of the Vilkija. The dean also welcomed the Russian soldiers so hospitably that they "forgot" the order given to them to blow up the church, whereas the Holy Father, after communicating with the German authorities, informed them there were no Russians in the town and there was no need to attack Vilkija.

It was not only the exterior of the majestic Saint George Church of Neo-Gothic style that is breathtaking. Inside the prayer house, the organs produced by Jonas Garalevičius, a famous Lithuanian musical instrument manufacturer are used up to this day, and the walls are decorated with the 19th century paintings "The Crucifixion" and "The Holy Family", which are recorded in the Register of Lithuanian Cultural Valuables.
© Nemuno kelias

Bažnyčios g. 19, Vilkija, Kauno r.

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