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26-831: In 1860, bishop Motiejus Valančius began preparations for construction of a new church in Panevėžys. However, after the Uprising of 1863 , the Tsarist authorities implemented Russification policies, including the Lithuanian press ban and suppression of the Catholic Church. The authorities forbade construction of any new Catholic churches and closed the Piarist church leaving only the Church of Saints Peter and Paul to service

52-508: A large hall under the presbytery , which is also known as the catacombs. The monstrance was gifted by Pope Pius XI . The church tabernacle is made of gilded oak. Two small angels, made by Joseph Rifesser from Urtijëi , are kneeling on each side. Above it there is a white sculpture of Christ the King by Juozas Zikaras . The richly decorated baldachin of the altar rests on four white columns, surrounded by sculptures of angels. The ceiling of

78-470: A whole. He expanded and improved the Samogitian parochial school network, wrote many religious books, and in 1858 inaugurated a temperance movement , which grew to encompass nearly a million members, almost half of the county’s population. He also wrote the first Lithuanian language history of the Samogitian diocese, which has not lost its scientific value even nowadays. His pastoral and educational work

104-460: Is dedicated to Christ the King. The organ, produced by Bruno Goebel in Königsberg , has three manuals . The cathedral was consecrated during a Eucharistic Congress on June 30, 1933, by Juozapas Skvireckas , Archbishop of Kaunas . The interior was decorated by local painter Povilas Puzinas in 1938–1939. The cathedral is eclectic combining features of Baroque and Neoclassicism . The façade

130-478: Is dominated by the rectangular tower topped with an octagonal dome. Two 3-metre (9.8 ft) high sculptures of Pope Pius XI and Jurgis Matulevičius , founders of the diocese, stand on the corners of the roof. The pediment of the portico is decorated with cartouches: the top one features a royal crown while the lower has the coat of arms of the bishop. The cathedral has three naves with groin vaults built of reinforced concrete. Chapel of Saint Casimir occupies

156-469: The Sistine Madonna and a painting of Saint Casimir surrounded by sculptures of Albert of Riga and Saint Monica . The right altar features a sculpture of Saint Francis of Assisi helping crucified Jesus, modeled after a painting by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo , and a painting of Saint Stanislaus. Puzinas painted the ceiling vaults with frescoes of angels in the clouds while ceiling of the chapels

182-596: The "good news" ("gospel") of Jesus. In iconography , the evangelists often appear in Evangelist portraits derived from classical tradition, and are also frequently represented by the symbols which originate from the four " living creatures " that draw the throne-chariot of God in the vision in Ezekiel 1 reflected in the Book of Revelation ( 4:6–9ff ), referred to as the four ' Seraphim ', though neither source links

208-565: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Panevėžys . Architect Rytis Steikūnas and engineer Aleksandras Gordevičius redesigned and expanded the church as it now was to serve as a cathedral. The unfinished cathedral was blessed by Jonas Mačiulis (better known as Maironis ) on Saint Casimir's Day (March 4) in 1930. For that occasion Maironis wrote a hymn dedicated to Christ the King . Four bells from Apolda , Germany, were blessed in 1931. The largest, weighing 1,628 kilograms (3,589 lb),

234-574: The Romanesque art of Europe such as church frescoes or murals . The meanings accruing to the symbols grew over centuries, with an early formulation by Jerome , and were fully expressed by Rabanus Maurus , who set out three layers of meaning for the beasts: representing first the Evangelists, second the nature of Christ, and third the virtues required of a Christian for salvation . These animals may have originally been seen as representing

260-402: The apse is decorated by a 22-by-14-metre (72 ft × 46 ft) fresco by Jonas Mackevičius depicting Saint Casimir appearing to Lithuanian soldiers during the 1518 Siege of Polotsk . The fresco was restored in 2002. The walls of the apse depict ten churches of ten deaneries of the diocese. The side aisles end with oak altars produced by Joseph Rifesser. The left altar features a copy of

286-510: The 19th century. Motiejus Valančius was born February 28, 1801, into a well-to-do peasant family in Nasrėnai  [ lt ] village, Kretinga district . Early in his youth, he had his baptismal records altered to indicate noble birth; the family name was Polonized to Wołonczewski . This practice, not uncommon among prosperous villagers, was a means of providing educational opportunities otherwise denied to peasant children. In 1816 he entered

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312-691: The Catholic inhabitants of Panevėžys. A permission for construction was obtained in 1904, but the work was delayed by the Russo-Japanese War and the Revolution of 1905 until 1908. Until World War I, a rectory and a temporary chapel were completed while church's walls rose up to the windows. The church was to be named after Saint Stanislaus the Martyr . After the war the construction was abandoned until April 1926 when Pope Pius XI established

338-779: The Dominican school at Žemaičių Kalvarija and six years later began his studies at the Theological Seminary in Varniai. He transferred to the Vilnius Priest Seminary in 1824, from which he graduated in 1828. Ordained a priest that same year, he spent the next six years teaching religion in Belarus . In 1834 he returned to Lithuania to take up a teaching position at the Kražiai College . In 1840 he

364-529: The Evangelists in early medieval Gospel Books , and are the usual accompaniment to Christ in Majesty when portrayed during the same period, reflecting the vision in Revelation. They were presented as one of the most common motifs found on church portals and apses , as well as many other locations. When surrounding Christ, the figure of the man usually appears at top left—above Christ's right hand, with

390-622: The anti-Russian uprising in 1831 , Valančius was considered to be relatively apolitical, and thus the Russian government did not object when he was proposed as an Episcopal candidate for the see of Samogitia. He was consecrated bishop in 1850, the first peasant to head over that diocese. Taking up his duties, he guided the diocese for the next 25 years, years of religious, political and social change not only within Samogitia but in Lithuania as

416-590: The authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts. In the New Testament , they bear the following titles: the Gospel of Matthew ; the Gospel of Mark ; the Gospel of Luke ; and the Gospel of John . The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels , because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence or even verbatim. While

442-585: The creatures to the Evangelists (of course the depiction of the Seraphim predates in chronology the writing of the New Testament which portrays the writers John, Luke, Mark, Matthew as symbolically embodied by the four Seraphim). Images normally, but not invariably, appear with wings like angels . When the symbols of the Four Evangelists appear together, it is called a Tetramorph , common in

468-529: The emergence of the Lithuanian national movement. As an educator, able Church administrator, historian and ethnographer, and talented writer, Valančius is one of the most versatile and influential figures in 19th century Lithuania. He left behind a number of written in Polish manuscripts of a memoir and diary nature: These notes were not intended for publication by the author. However, they were published in

494-467: The highest forms of the various types of animals: man, as king of creation, as the image of the creator; the lion, as king of beasts of prey (meat-eating); the ox, as king of domesticated animals (grass-eating); the eagle, as king of birds. Each of the symbols is depicted with wings, following the biblical sources first in Ezekiel 1 – 2 , and in Revelation . The symbols are shown with, or in place of,

520-507: The lion above Christ's left arm. Underneath the man is the ox and underneath the lion is the eagle. This both reflects the medieval idea of the order of "nobility" of nature of the beasts (man, lion, ox, eagle) and the text of Ezekiel 1:10 . From the 13th century, their use began to decline, as a new conception of Christ in Majesty , showing the wounds of the Passion , came into use. In Evangelist portraits, they sometimes appear to dictate to

546-471: The original Polish and Lithuanian translation in 2003 by Lithuanian historian Aldona Prašmantáitė. They are an important source for learning about the situation of the Catholic Church in Samogitia under Russian rule, as well as for learning about the Polish language of the region. Four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew , Mark , Luke , and John ,

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572-483: The periods to which the gospels are usually dated suggest otherwise, convention traditionally holds that the authors were two of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus , John and Matthew, as well as two "apostolic men", Mark and Luke, whom Orthodox Tradition records as members of the 70 Apostles ( Luke 10 ): They are called evangelists , a word meaning "people who proclaim good news", because their books aim to tell

598-765: Was assigned to the Vilnius Theological Seminary , where he lectured in pastoral theology and biblical archaeology and where he earned his doctorate in theology in 1842. That same year on orders of the Tsar, the Academy, its teaching staff and student body, was moved to St. Petersburg , Russia. Valančius came back to Lithuania because of health problems in 1845 and was appointed rector of the Varniai Priest Seminary , serving in this capacity until 1850. Having been absent from Lithuania during

624-417: Was decorated with images of the Four Evangelists . He also created eight large paintings that hang in the naves. Motiejus Valan%C4%8Dius Motiejus Kazimieras Valančius ( Polish : Maciej Kazimierz Wołonczewski , also known by his pen-name Joteika and Ksiądz Maciek ; 1801–1875) was a Catholic Bishop of Samogitia , historian and one of the best known Lithuanian/Samogitian writers of

650-575: Was interred in the crypt of the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica . His services to the Lithuanian cause were lasting and important, including his opposition to the Russian government and the tactics he employed in resisting its policies, particularly the Lithuanian press ban . He sponsored the illegal practice of printing Lithuanian books in East Prussia and smuggling them into Lithuania by knygnešiai , which served to stimulate

676-478: Was interrupted by the uprising of 1863–1864 and was made extremely difficult as the Russian government tightened its reins after the revolt's defeat. Yet these circumstances did not prevent him from following a course that brought him into direct conflict with the authorities. He made every effort to undermine the government’s scheme of Russification . In 1874 Valančius fell ill and died in Kaunas on May 29, 1875. He

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