On this very spot, where the red-brick Neo-Gothic Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was built in 1931, once stood the old Druskininkai church of Čiurlionis’ time.

Postcard of the old Druskininkai Church © Lietuva senose fotografijose

The church that stood here in Čiurlionis’ time was the old Druskininkai church, predating the red-brick Neo-Gothic Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel that was built in 1931.

The earlier church was erected in 1842–1844. Its architect is not definitively known, though it is believed to have been one of the architects working in the Grodno Governorate. The building featured Neo-Gothic forms and an almost square floor plan, with a broken roofline and a central tower. Its silhouette resembled that of Orthodox rather than Catholic churches.

It was here that Kastukas’ father served as organist from roughly 1878 to 1906. He founded a Lithuanian choir in which the Čiurlionis family, neighbours, and parishioners sang. Kastukas began learning the organ from his father at just five years old, and later often substituted for him during Mass.

In an 1892 letter to Michał Ogiński, the young Konstantinas wrote:

“I now fulfill the duties of organist, regularly playing the organ in church during Holy Mass and Vespers, and through Father have received very favourable praise from the priest-canon.”

Having completed his art studies in Warsaw, Čiurlionis returned to Druskininkai for summer stays. In 1905 he captured the old little church in one of his drawings.

M. K. Čiurlionis „Druskininkai Church“ (1905) © ciurlionis.eu

ll of M. K. Čiurlionis’ brothers and sisters were baptised in this church. The old Druskininkai church is also significant because it was here that Čiurlionis’ “Little Preludes” were first performed.

As writer Kazys Boruta recounts in his novel Saulės parnešti išėjo, Čiurlionis’ father deeply loved his son’s music and often regretted that, due to limited technique, he could not properly play Konstantinas’ preludes. One evening, after listening to his son's music, he said: “Oh, if only you would write something for your father, an old organist, so that I, playing the organ, could take joy in it.”

That very evening Čiurlionis sat down to compose a set of organ preludes. His father was overjoyed and later performed them with great pride during services in the old Druskininkai church.

In 1909, when it was decided to build a new, larger and more spacious church on the site of the chapel, a design was prepared by the Warsaw architect Stefan Schiller; construction began in 1912, funded by the priest Boleslovas Valejka. In 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, work came to a halt before the tower had been built and the interior completed. The church was finally finished in 1931.

In the present-day Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Druskininkai, you can see the small altars from the old church, as well as an exposed section of the original church foundations.

VISITING INFORMATION

❯ The church doors are open*:

Mon–Fri: 17:00–19:00

Sat: 9:00–11:00

Sun: 8:00–13:00, 18:00–20:00

Before your visit, we recommend checking the current visiting conditions on the church’s website ↗.

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Prepared based on sources:

ciurlioniokelias.lt, ciurlionis.eu, autc.lt, Kazys Boruta Saulės parnešti išėjo (Vaga, 1973)

Druskininkai Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Druskininkai Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

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