- Place
- Kaunas District Municipality
- Region
- Kauno Marios Regional Park
- Type
- parish church under construction and memorial site for villages flooded by Kaunas Reservoir
- Address
- 23 Žalioji Street, Šlienava, Kaunas District
- Coordinates
- 54.87334, 24.07877
- Visit duration
- 10-25 minutes to view the works and historic ensemble from a safe public place
- Best time
- daylight, after confirming construction boundaries and the current place of worship
Šlienava Church
The former 1713 chapel and later timber church
According to Kaunas District Public Library's local-history account, villagers built a simple timber chapel in Šlienava cemetery in 1713, hoping for protection from plague. Hewn boards were fixed with wooden nails, and the chapel belonged to Panemunė parish.
Work on the nave of the later, now dismantled timber church began in 1942-1944 with logs donated by surrounding residents. This chronology describes the former sanctuary and should not be confused with the new building under construction in 2026.
How the memory of Kampiškiai moved to Šlienava
When Kaunas Reservoir was formed, the former Šlienava sanctuary became the place where parish life from inundated Kampiškiai continued. In 1959 the building was extended with logs recovered from the Kampiškiai church. It is a vivid example of a hydroelectric reservoir changing both a landscape and a religious community's geography.
A belfry brought from Kampiškiai in 1961 was erected here in 1970. It became a material link to a village now beneath the water and to the memory of its displaced residents.
Altars and protected art from the former church
The dismantled church contained three altars. Folk artist Kazimieras Škėma made the two side altars in 1945. Official histories cautiously say that the Orthodox-influenced high altar may have come from Kaunas Church of St Michael the Archangel, also known as the Garrison Church, but its origin is not conclusively documented.
Registered movable works associated with the former sanctuary include a painting of Saint Isidore, crosses, crucifixes and statues. The construction site is not their exhibition space, so ask the parish about their present storage and any future display.
The old building is gone and a new church is rising
A cornerstone for the reconstructed church was blessed on 26 October 2025. By April 2026 the previous timber building had been dismantled and construction of the new church was actively under way. The white-painted volume shown in older photographs therefore no longer stands.
This is an active building site, not a historic interior open to visitors. Stay outside barriers, do not enter the unfinished structure and never park where vehicles or workers need access. Confirm current conditions with the parish before making a dedicated trip.
Belfry memory, parish buildings and the place of worship
The belfry transferred from Kampiškiai and the parish buildings completed in 2000 remain important to the ensemble's story. The parish buildings housed domestic-life and sacred collections as well as community rooms, and a small chapel with a Sacred Heart statue followed in 2001. Access even to these areas may be limited during construction.
The diocese lists Mass at 09:00 and 13:00 on Sundays, 10:00 on Saturdays and 18:00 on weekdays. Navigation to the church address does not prove that worship takes place inside the construction site, so confirm both the schedule and temporary venue with the parish during the same week.
