Tauragė Martynas Mažvydas evangelical lutheran church

Tauragė was and continues to be the traditional centre of the Lithuanian Evangelical Lutherans. The Tauragė Martynas Mažvydas evangelical lutheran church, built in 1840-1843 (when the wooden church, which stood on the shore of Jūra River, was destroyed during the great fire of Tauragė of 1836), stands in the city centre at Jonas Kalvanas Park. The rectangular stone building with a square belfry, designed by the architect Karolis Gregotovičius, is not very high, characterised by a strict structure and modest shapes.
The church building is built of shaped field stones. The architecture features romantic, classical, folk architecture and Italian Renaissance’s elements. The belfry, destroyed during the years for World War I was rebuilt in 1938.
Just like the façade, the interior is laconic and modest, featuring ascetic white, a unique stone altar, a baptistery and a small pulpit. On the altar there is a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, marked with soviet bullets in 1946. Above the painting there is a statue of the crucifix.
The sanctuary has been named after Martynas Mažvydas in 1947, during the 400th anniversary of the publishing of the first Lithuanian book – the Catechism. As of 1987, the façade has been decorated with brass statues of Martin Luther, introducer of the Reformation, and Martynas Mažvydas, the author of the first Lithuanian book, created by the folk artist Antanas Bagdonas (1928-2015) of Tauragė. This house of prayer unites a congregation of about 1700 families.
Tauragė Martynas Mažvydas Evangelical Lutheran Church continues to unite the largest Evangelical Lutheran community in Lithuania to this day. Up until 2004, Tauragė was a residence of a bishop, hosted the major clerical institutions and synods. 1955 marked the publishing of the first calendar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The church hosts Giesmė Mano Žemei concerts of the Martynas Mažvydas Festival.
Martynas Mažvydas Vaitkūnas, the pioneer of Lithuanian letters, writer and author of Katekizmas – the first Lithuanian book, published in 1547, was born circa 1510-20 (likely, in the area of Švėkšna, Žemaičių Naumiestis or Gardamas) and died on 21 May 1563 in Ragainė (now known as Neman, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia). Although the reformation figure M. Mažvydas worked as a priest in Ragainė, his parish included larger areas on the right side of Nemunas River. It is likely that before the construction of Vilkyškiai Church (circa 1554), the northern border of the parish coincided with the border between the Duchy of Prussia and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL), i.e. it was very close to Tauragė. In his letter, written in 1551, M. Mažvydas regrets that his parishioners spend their religious holidays praying at Tauragė Catholic Church.
Tauragė has two objects, named after Martynas Mažvydas – an avenue and Martynas Mažvydas Progymnasium (former Tauragė First Middle School), located not far from the evangelical church.
The Evangelical Lutheran church remembers numerous famous ministers. Jonas Pipiras, author of numerous religious publications, who actively fought for the rights of Lithuanian language, worked as a priest in 1872-1882. Martynas Keturakaitis, another activist of Lithuanian books, who used to smuggle Lithuanian publications from Lithuania Minor, worked here in 1883-1892. The priest and educator Augustas Vymeris worked here as a priest in 1911-1942. The Bishop Jonas Viktoras Kalvanas (Senior) has left a deep impression in the life of the Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church and the community in Tauragė as well. His son Jonas Viktoras Kalvanas also worked as a Bishop in Tauragė.

Compiled in 2018