Kaunas St. Nicholas Church, Benedictine Monastery, Kaunas

Benediktinių g. 8, Kaunas

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Under the direction of Archbishop J. Skvireckas, the title Bishop of Matrega, Teofilius Matulionis, was appointed Chaplain of Benedictines (1936), giving him all authority to take care of the spiritual affairs of the monks. He introduced two innovations in spiritual life. The first, as early as 1937, he reformed the vow rituals, the liturgy and introduced the most important thing remained to this day, the eternal adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Gothic St. Nicholas Church is a one-nave, of an asymmetrical plan and the tower nestling on the southern side. In the 17th century, when the church was given to the Benedictines, it was repaired twice. Reconstructed in the 19th century: its southern façade was covered by a two-story gallery that connected the church with a brick monastery built; on the western end, there is an extension to the building with a porch on the ground floor and an organ choir on the first floor. The monastery was wooden and small until the 19th century. The brick building of the monastery was built only in 1825: it was rectangular, two-storeyed, connected to the church by a wing on the southern side. The ground floor had a refectory, cells, various utility rooms, and the first floor had cells. In 1924, a stone parsonage was built in place of the chaplain’s wooden house. After the monastery was closed, the church was the public library book storage in 1948-1990. In 1990, the church was repaired and returned to the faithful, and the sisters of the Benedictine Congregation returned to the monastery. During the period when the chaplain of the community was Bishop Teofilius Matulionis, the Benedictine community of the Kaunas sisters survived its golden age during its nearly 400 years of existence. The meaningful activity of Kaunas Benedictine sisters was noticed and appreciated in the society.

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    On this path, you will discover all the places related to the life, pastoral activity, suffering and death of Blessed Teofilius Matulionis in Lithuania. Travelling around all these places will give you an even better insight into the personality of Blessed Teofilius, the beauty of Lithuania and the richness of its history.

  • The Path of Kaišiadorys region

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    Kaišiadorys region is rich in spiritual heritage and beauty. The personalities who left extraordinary traces in the history of Lithuania were born and lived, worked and prayed there. In Kaišiadorys, we can find especial stops for prayer and spiritual life. We invite you to travel this path - to see the beauty and richness of our homeland Lithuania and Christian life.

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