Because of the particular history of the place, there was never a Catholic church in Nida, and one only rose in this part of the Curonian Spit at the beginning of the 21st century. Until June 2003, when the Nida Catholic church opened its doors to the faithful, local Catholics prayed in the Evangelical Lutheran house of prayer with the Lutherans' brotherly permission. Still, the Catholic community worked hard for a new church to be built. The leaders of the Franciscan order approached Neringa Municipal Council about building a spiritual and cultural centre, submitting a petition from 713 residents, and in 1994 it was finally approved. The Nida Catholic church rose in the centre of the settlement, on a worn-down dune, on 14 June 2003. Its reed roof became the church's signature feature, and its white spire with an openwork cross can be seen from all over Nida. At first glance the Nida Catholic church looks modest, but inside a large space opens up, delighting with an abundance of natural light. Through the huge windows behind the altar you can see Nida and the expanse of the Curonian Lagoon, which seems to symbolise the endless bond between man and God. The silence of the settlement is broken by the strokes of a bell weighing one and a half tonnes on the church roof. The bell bears the Neringa coat of arms and the words: "Ring out, famous bell, among the sea dunes, call and comfort the people of Neringa; may the favour of the Lord our God be upon us: establish the work of our hands, bless our toil (Ps 90:17)". The possibilities of the installed bell are nicely complemented by electronic bells fitted in the church, and a "smart" organ calls people to services. Not only the exterior and interior of the Nida Catholic church are contemporary, but its other parts too. The churchyard has an amphitheatre which, when the church windows and doors are raised, becomes part of the church, and Christian cultural events are often held here in the open air. Although this Catholic house of prayer is relatively young, it is truly worth seeing, because the building blends beautifully with the unique landscape and combines seaside architectural traditions with contemporary thinking and new technical possibilities.