FROM THE HISTORY OF THE
KURTUVENAI PARIS

The first Roman catholic church in Kurtuvėnai was built in 1498. It was funded by the owner of Kurtuvėnai Mykolas Jaugelevičius. In the second half of the XVI century the catholic church in Kurtuvėnai was transformed into the reformats church. In 1619 when Stanislovas Kiška became the bishop of Samagotians, the Kurtuvėnai catholic church was restored and a dean was nominated.
In 1654 the Jesuits settled in Pašiause within the Kurtuvėnai parish limits and founded their college. In 1749 the catholic monks of the oriental rituals, Basilions, settled in Padubisis (at present Bazilionai) within the parish limits at the invitation of the landlord Brinerys. A new brick St. apostle Jokūbas parochial church was built in 1792 under the design of architect Martynas Knakfusas and was funded by the owner of Kurtuvenai manor Jokubas Nagurskis.

Around 1830 the Kurtuvenai parochial church had churches in Kiaunoriai, Pakape and Pašiause. In 1880 the dean priest Bonaventuras Cizas built a wooden chapel in the parochial graveyard which is existing today. A new parochial graveyard was founded in 1910 under the concern of the dean of Kurtuvenai Daminykas Šereiva.

Dangiras MACIULIS