1819 is the starting year of Marijampole Evangelical Lutheran Congregation when local Evangelics applied for permission to establish a congregation and build a church.
The Warsaw commission complied with the request and it was decided to allot a storehouse that had been built for a military regiment in 1804 or 1805 till the new church was built. Later, in year 1821, it was decided to build a church tower. A copper dome was forged and donated by K.Setleris and the house of prayer was consecrated in 1822. A priest was the only thing the church was lacking. An entertaining story tells how councilman Trapas asked Czar Alexander I to sign papers on state aid to the parish and priest’s maintenance. In order to attract attention, Trapas saddled his horse and headed towards the emperor, who was travelling through Marijampole (year 1824). Suddenly, the rider and it’s horse fell down through the earth into one of many cellars underground. It is said, the event was noticed by Czar Alexander I and the request was passed. One can only speculate how much of the story is true.
In 1829 or 1831, the evangelicals of Marijampolė had their own pastor, Carl Heinrich Lange. In 1854 the first German school was established. The school was the most influential German school in Lithuania. While their beliefs were German, the school was under Polish administration and later Russian authority.
In 1835 Karolis Kaminskis made a project of the new church. The construction started in 1835 but lasted until 1841. The church was well seen from all sides and it became an important accent of the northern part of the town. Construction was financed by the local government, Radziwill family of Serijai and by Kvietiškis estate manager O. Sapiegienė. At the same time, next to the church, in parallel with the street, Evangelical Lutheran School (college) was built. In 1850 Henrikas Markonis designed a Lutheran church’s tower - the bell tower. The classical architecture quadrilateral tower was built at the eastern end of the church, near Petersburg (Kaunas) Street. Other sources say that the tower was built between 1874 and 1893, when the parish was curated by priest Karlas Julius Pastenacis.
In the church of Marijampole there were the following pastors: 1831 to 1849 Karl Heinrich Lange; 1849 to 1872 Superintendent David Bergmann; 1872 to 1874 Reverend Roethke; 1874 to 1892 Carl Julius Pasternaci; and 1894 to 1941 Ernst Alexander Eichelberger.
In the fourth decade of the 20thcentury Lutheran community increased (about 2,000 people). Church service was held in German and Lithuanian languages. The faithful of Lithuanian and German decent had disagreements among them; therefore in 1936 Evangelical Lutheran Lithuanian Union Division was found in Marijampolė.
In the beginning of the World War II and the Soviet occupation Marijampole Evangelical Lutheran community was scattered, church ruined, closed and turned into a grain storehouse, and later – a gym. An elementary class was established in the priest's house.
The church’s reconstruction began in 1984. The initiators were local government; project designed by architect A. Lukoševičius. The priest's house was connected to the church building and during the war destroyed tower - belfry was rebuilt as well (author of the project V. Medelis). Renewed priest’s house was given to the Teachers House. In 1988 by the initiative of Catholic Pastor S. Sakalauskas and Marijampole Executive Committee Chairman K. Subačius the church was planned to be transformed into a concert hall. Architect Z. Galadauskas prepared a new interior design, but there was no time to implement it.
On June 27th, 1990 The Evangelical Lutheran Congregation was registered into registers of Marijampolė municipality. On October 30th, 1992 the congregation regained former church with it’s premises. On January 6th, 1993 the Teacher’s House left the premises. In 1994 architects G. Vieversys and L. Tumynienė prepared project for the church’s reconstruction. The first mass prayers were held on July 5th , 1995. The same year on the church tower a cross was inserted instead of the weather crane (author - V. Medelis). On December 21st a bell of 650 kg weight was placed. The bell was made in Germany in 1949 and donated by priest Bernhard Bonkhof (Grossbundenbach, Germany).
Add comment