Zapyškis Church of St John the Baptist

The little church in the middle of an open field on the bank of the Nemunas looks as if it had been transported to our times from the distant past. It is one of the oldest churches in Lithuania, called the mother of churches. According to legend it was built in the 14th century on the site of a former Romuva sanctuary, but it is first mentioned in historical sources in 1562. In its history of several hundred years the church has suffered many times from wars, fires and floods, and has been abandoned and repaired, yet it has survived as one of the most unique examples of Gothic in Lithuania. Services have not been held here since the early 20th century. When there was no longer enough room for the faithful, a new church was built in the town, and in 1936 the little church was turned into a storehouse for church supplies. Since 1996 concerts of the Pažaislis Music Festival and other cultural events have been held here. The church is thought to have been built by Paweł Sapieha, voivode of Navahrudak and Podlasie, who settled at Zapyškis manor in the mid-16th century (the place was then called Sapiegiškės). The construction method and decorative elements are typical of this period. The church's thick walls, in places 1 m thick, were probably built by local workers led by a master well versed in Gothic principles. The whole design of the church bears witness to the ambition of its creators. First, in the 16th century only towns had brick buildings. Moreover, according to researchers, the cycle of lunar eclipses is encoded in the niches of the church façade. Second, although the church's altars were fairly modest, it was painted with frescoes, probably with views of Kaunas, and an organ considered a masterpiece was installed, with a figure of David that moved to the sound. According to legend, a deer carried a picture of St Mary down the Nemunas on its antlers – you can still see the picture today – so a deer's head with antlers was hung beside the organ. Sadly, the organ (German soldiers carried it off in pieces during the First World War) and other decorations have not survived to our day.