- Place
- Šalčininkai District Municipality
- Region
- Vilnius region
- Type
- 1850 classicist stone memorial cemetery chapel with a round body and dome
- Address
- Tylioji g., Turgeliai, Turgeliai eldership, Šalčininkai District
- Coordinates
- 54.45353, 25.51098
- Visit duration
- 30-45 minutes; longer if combined with the Turgeliai heritage route
- Best time
- in daylight, while respecting the quiet of the cemetery and checking whether a service is taking place
Turgeliai Chapel of St Felix de Valua, Kobilinskių Chapel, Kobylinskių Chapel
A chapel on the Turgeliai cemetery hill
Turgeliai Chapel of St Felix Valua stands on the cemetery hill in Turgeliai, Šalčininkai District. It is also known as the Chapel of St Felix de Valua or the Kobilinskių Chapel. The coordinate 54.4535283, 25.510981 marks the chapel site on Tylioji Street.
The coordinate marks the chapel itself rather than the centre of the whole Turgeliai cemetery. A separate visitor entrance may not be available, so approach from a public path and respect the cemetery rules.
The chapel is one building within the cemetery setting. Turgeliai parish church is a different active sanctuary, while the cemetery itself remains a quiet setting around the memorial building.
The 1850 family memorial
The chapel was built in 1850 as a stone memorial for Jozef and Kotryna Kobilinskių. The family is connected with the nearby Merkinė Manor, acquired in 1834. This gives the small building a precise memorial context within the cemetery.
The Kobilinskių or Kobylinskių name survives in local use, so the chapel may appear under a longer alias in map results. These forms identify the same building. The surrounding graves and monuments provide a wider memorial context, while the chapel remains a separate structure.
Turgeliai lies near the Merkys, about 18 kilometres north-east of Šalčininkai, and the 1850 Felix de Valua Chapel is an important architectural monument here. The setting makes it a worthwhile stop on a wider south-eastern Lithuania route.
Round volume, dome, and fieldstone
The chapel's most recognisable feature is its round central volume, topped by a broad dome, a small lantern-like upper element, and a cross. Lower side extensions balance the centre, while pale classical trim picks out openings against the darker stone walls. Walking around the building reveals more than a single frontal view.
The chapel's composition includes fieldstone walls, a round volume with a dome, and lower side volumes. These visual cues are easiest to appreciate by walking around the building and looking closely at the material and proportions.
Nineteenth-century paintings, sculptures, and decorative details are mentioned inside. Interior access is not confirmed, so arrange entry and photography in advance.
A separate site from Turgeliai church
The chapel is the building on the cemetery hill, while Turgeliai Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a separate working parish sanctuary. They can be part of one itinerary, but their functions, names, and map points are not interchangeable.
A nearby Simonas Malevskis grave is part of the cemetery's memory context rather than another chapel name. Keeping the visit focused on the memorial architecture makes the site easier to understand and avoids assigning every cemetery feature to one listing.
The chapel is one stop among the area's heritage places. Nearby buildings and the wider route are useful context for planning a respectful outing, but they are separate destinations.
Visiting a chapel in a cemetery
The chapel has no published permanent opening hours, ticket price, or regular tour-registration system. Plan the exterior as a free heritage visit, and contact the parish or municipality in advance if you want interior access, a group visit, or permission to photograph inside.
Check local circumstances before travelling: gates, funerals, services, and seasonal access may affect what is possible. Do not enter during a service, cross graves, touch memorials, or treat a quiet cemetery as a normal event venue.
The chapel exterior is easiest to view in daylight. If you want to see inside, arrive with a group, or photograph the interior, arrange this with the parish or municipality in advance and respect the quiet of the cemetery.
