Panevezys Cathedral, Panevėžys, Lithuania

The Cathedral of Christ the King (Kristaus Karaliaus katedra) is a Roman Catholic cathedral, seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Panevėžys. The cathedral is eclectic combining features of Baroque and Neoclassicism and it was built between 1908-1933.

In 1860, bishop Motiejus Valančius began preparations for construction of a new church in Panevėžys. However, after the Uprising of 1863, the Tsarist authorities implemented Russification policies, including the Lithuanian press ban and suppression of the Catholic Church. The authorities forbade construction of any new Catholic churches and closed the Piarist church leaving only the Church of Saints Peter and Paul to service the Catholic inhabitants of Panevėžys. A permission for construction was obtained in 1904, but the work was delayed by the Russo-Japanese War and the Revolution of 1905 until 1908. Until World War I, a rectory and a temporary chapel were completed while church's walls rose up to the windows. The church was to be named after Saint Stanislaus the Martyr.

After the war the construction was abandoned until April 1926 when Pope Pius XI established the Roman Catholic Diocese of Panevėžys. Architect Rytis Steikūnas and engineer Aleksandras Gordevičius redesigned and expanded the church as it now was to serve as a cathedral. The unfinished cathedral was blessed by Jonas Mačiulis (better known as Maironis) on Saint Casimir's Day in 1930. For that occasion Maironis wrote a hymn dedicated to Christ the King. Four bells from Apolda, Germany, were blessed in 1931. The largest, weighing 1,628 kilograms, is dedicated to Christ the King. The organ, produced by Bruno Goebel in Königsberg, has three manuals. The cathedral was consecrated during a Eucharistic Congress on June 30, 1933, by Juozapas Skvireckas, Archbishop of Kaunas. The interior was decorated by local painter Povilas Puzinas in 1938–1939.

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Abbey of Saint-Georges

Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.

The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).

Karyna Vlasenko (16 months ago)
Impressive place

Matas (20 months ago)
Very good church, the priest sometimes can be funny, good history.

Saarthall (2 years ago)
Nice looking place

Lina Svaldenienė (2 years ago)
It is comfortably warm inside at the winter time and midday masses are not so long as they used to be. Altar is always decorated with fresh flowers, and sound system is good as well. Finally, building exterior is beautifully lit.

Chris tina (5 years ago)
A beautiful Cathedral which is located 7 mins walk distance from Trinity Church.

Panevezys Cathedral

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Abbey of Saint-Georges