- Place
- Rokiškis District Municipality
- Region
- Rokiškis District
- Type
- active Catholic church and Neo-Gothic architectural monument
- Address
- Dariaus ir Girėno g. 7, Obeliai, LT-42216, Rokiškis District
- Coordinates
- 55.94076, 25.79728
- Visit duration
- 30-60 minutes; depending on interior access and services
- Best time
- outside services, after checking the parish schedule in advance
The setting and Neo-Gothic silhouette
Obeliai St Anne's Church stands at Dariaus ir Girėno g. 7 in Obeliai, Rokiškis District Municipality. Coordinates 55.94075631897319, 25.79727719657291 mark the entrance side by the churchyard rather than the general centre of the town.
From a distance, the light masonry building is recognised by its two tall tapering towers with crosses, pointed-arch windows, and cruciform massing. A low stone churchyard wall separates the sacred grounds from the street and keeps the building's scale legible in the town setting.
This is an active parish, so arrange questions about services, interior access and photography with the parish. The exterior can be viewed from the street and churchyard approaches.
Construction, fire, and restoration
The present masonry church was built in 1859-1868. The main structure is a nineteenth-century building, while the decorative features and furnishings visible today reflect several periods.
A fire damaged the church in 1899, and restoration followed around 1900. The rebuilding took place in stages, so it has no single precisely documented completion day.
The building was also damaged in 1944, with accounts mentioning the roof, plaster, and stained glass. Later repairs kept the church active, but the present interior is the result of several historical phases rather than an untouched nineteenth-century interior.
Architecture and interior details
The church is described as a Historicist Neo-Gothic building with a cruciform plan and two towers. Three naves organise the interior, while three altars and tall pointed windows continue the vertical rhythm of the exterior into the worship space.
The church has three Gothic altars, a nineteenth-century Warsaw-made stained-glass image of Our Lady of the Scapular in the main altar, and a gilded wooden pulpit decorated with plant motifs. These details can only be appreciated when the interior is open.
The local musical story includes Mikas Petrauskas's work as organist and the choir and orchestra formed at the church. Live music should not be expected on every visit, as it depends on particular services and events.
An active parish and visiting time
Obeliai St Anne's is an active parish, so visiting needs to fit around services and the community's use of the building. The diocesan schedule lists Mass at 12:00 on Saturday and Sunday, at 09:00 on Tuesday and Thursday, and at 17:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The schedule is a reference rather than a permanent visitor timetable. Feasts, funerals, a priest's absence, or other parish changes can alter it, so contact the parish before travelling if you want to see the interior, take photographs, or bring a group.
No public ticket price or permanent tourist opening hours are currently listed. The exterior can be seen from the street and churchyard approaches; ask the parish about interior access, a donation, or other arrangements because conditions may change.
Obeliai and the surrounding route
The church combines naturally with the Obeliai Freedom Struggles Museum and a walk near Obelija Lake, but these are three separate destinations. Each has its own address, timing, and visitor conditions, so the church schedule does not cover the entire route.
A trip can continue to Rokiškis and its St Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist Church, but that is a different building and parish. Treat both as separate heritage sites.
If the doors are closed, the towers, pointed windows, cruciform massing, and stone wall still make an informative exterior stop. Enter the churchyard and interior only according to parish guidance and without disturbing religious services.
