St. Nicholas Church, Semeliškės
Encyclopedia
St. Nicholas Church is an Orthodox church in Semeliškės
, Lithuania
, built in 1895.
After the suppression of the January Uprising
, the Tsarist government financed the construction of a dozen of Orthodox churches in Vilnius
region, in order to stress the Russian rule in this land. The Orthodox peasants from the Semeliškės village asked the Vilnius Orthodox diocese to build a church in their village, too; but they got a negative response due to the small dimension of the village. However, after 1890 a nobleman from Trakai
, Alexey Peiker, agreed to support financially the construction of an Orthodox church in Semeliškės. The church was ready in 1895. It was located next to the main village square, which was the most prestigious of the possible locations. The building was consecrated on March 16, 1896. At this moment, the Semeliškės Orthodox parish consisted of about 500 people. This number subsequently grew to 765 in 1909.
The church, like many others in Lithuania, was closed in 1915, when the parish priest was forced to join the Russian army as a chaplain. New Orthodox clergymen arrived in Semeliškės only in 1923, sent by the new Orthodox metropolitan of Vilnius, Elevferiy (Bogoyavlensky). The church stopped functioning again in 1939. After the war, the number of Orthodox Christians in Semeliškės started to fall gradually. Although the church was registered in a Soviet government in 1947 as an existing parish, it was closed again in 1954 due to the small number of parishioners. Up to today, the services are held in Semeliškės only during the major Orthodox festivals.
Semeliškės
Semeliškės is a town in Elektrėnai municipality, Vilnius County, east Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the town has a population of 660 people. The town has a church of Catholics and Orthodox church of St. Nicolas....
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, built in 1895.
After the suppression of the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
, the Tsarist government financed the construction of a dozen of Orthodox churches in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
region, in order to stress the Russian rule in this land. The Orthodox peasants from the Semeliškės village asked the Vilnius Orthodox diocese to build a church in their village, too; but they got a negative response due to the small dimension of the village. However, after 1890 a nobleman from Trakai
Trakai
Trakai is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 km west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. Trakai is the administrative centre of Trakai district municipality. The town covers 11.52 km2 of...
, Alexey Peiker, agreed to support financially the construction of an Orthodox church in Semeliškės. The church was ready in 1895. It was located next to the main village square, which was the most prestigious of the possible locations. The building was consecrated on March 16, 1896. At this moment, the Semeliškės Orthodox parish consisted of about 500 people. This number subsequently grew to 765 in 1909.
The church, like many others in Lithuania, was closed in 1915, when the parish priest was forced to join the Russian army as a chaplain. New Orthodox clergymen arrived in Semeliškės only in 1923, sent by the new Orthodox metropolitan of Vilnius, Elevferiy (Bogoyavlensky). The church stopped functioning again in 1939. After the war, the number of Orthodox Christians in Semeliškės started to fall gradually. Although the church was registered in a Soviet government in 1947 as an existing parish, it was closed again in 1954 due to the small number of parishioners. Up to today, the services are held in Semeliškės only during the major Orthodox festivals.
Sources
- G. Shlevis, Православные храмы Литвы, Свято-Духов Монастыр, Vilnius 2006, ISBN 9986-559-62-6