Zapyškis, Kaunas District Municipality
Kaunas District
Towerless Gothic brick church beside the Nemunas, now a cultural space
Muziejaus g. 1, Zapyškis, Kaunas district
54.92880, 23.65420
30-45 minutes
late spring to autumn; in summer, Pažaislis Music Festival concerts
Old Zapyškis St John the Baptist Church, Senoji Zapyškio Šv. Jono Krikštytojo bažnyčia
Old Zapyškis Church on the Nemunas Bank
Old Zapyškis Church of St John the Baptist stands alone in an open meadow on the left bank of the Nemunas, in Zapyškis, Kaunas district, about 17 km from Kaunas. It is one of Lithuania's most iconic Gothic churches - red brick, towerless, and seemingly grown directly from the river valley.
Its solitary silhouette in the riverside meadow makes the church memorable. It should be distinguished from the new Zapyškis church of the early twentieth century, to which the parish moved; the old church is now a cultural, not parish, space.
Construction in the Sixteenth Century
The church was built by Povilas Sapiega, the Nowogródek voivode who owned Zapyškis. The reliable documentary date is 1578, when the foundation document was drawn up. Local tradition also mentions an earlier date around 1530, but that should be treated as conjectural; the church in Zapyškis was first mentioned in 1562.
The church has been associated with the title of St John the Baptist since the seventeenth century. It is one of the oldest surviving brick structures in Lithuania and was built by local craftsmen.
Towerless Gothic Architecture
The church is late Gothic, single-nave, and towerless - a rare type that gives it a modest yet monumental silhouette. It is built of brick, including shaped bricks used for decoration; buttresses divide the facades, and the gable is decorated with graceful niches.
Inside is an eighteenth-century Baroque altar with two sculptures. The slender proportions and Gothic brick decoration make the church one of the most distinctive Gothic monuments in the region.
Floods and Restoration
The church's fate was shaped by the Nemunas: before the Kaunas hydroelectric plant was built, spring floods often surrounded it, and in 1946 flood ice devastated the area. Services in the old church stopped around 1901, when the parish moved to a new church, leaving the old one standing alone in the meadow.
In 2002 the church received cultural monument status, and in 2018-2019 it was repaired and restored; later the surrounding old-town square was renewed as well. Since 1996 Pažaislis Music Festival concerts have taken place here, turning the church into a distinctive chamber-music space.
How to Visit Zapyškis Church
The church is easy to combine with a lower Nemunas route and the Panemunė castles. A visit usually takes 30-45 minutes: walk around the church, view it from the river side, and, if a concert is taking place, hear music in a unique space.
The old church is managed by Ežerėlis Cultural Center and is used only for cultural purposes. Opening hours and events can change, so check official Kaunas district or cultural-center information before going.
