4. Alytus Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians

About

A postmodernist design, Scandinavian-inspired façades, church furnishings brought over from Detroit, USA, an altar crafted by Kaunas metalworkers, and wooden elements by Alytus carpenters – these features, still visible in the Alytus church today, reveal the long and complex story behind its creation. 

The building only partially reflects the original vision. The architects who won the competition for the construction of a church in the Vidzgiris district, held during the Soviet era, had proposed a considerably larger building. The project was later revised, the scale of the church reduced, and its interior design gradually transformed through discussions with representatives of the parish.

The local Catholic community also played an important role in the creation of the church. Salesian priest Petras Dumbliauskas gave the church the relatively uncommon dedication in Lithuania of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians. In 1993, Father Leonas Jakimavičius was appointed parish priest and took on the considerable challenge of building a parish community before there was even a place of worship, while simultaneously overseeing the construction of the church itself. The first Masses and sacraments were therefore celebrated in a nearby school, and L. Jakimavičius travelled as far as the United States to raise funds for the construction. Lithuanian Americans contributed not only financially but also helped arrange the transfer of furnishings and equipment from the recently closed St Peter’s Church in Detroit.