Katyčiai Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Katyčiai church, built of fieldstones and bricks with a wooden tower, was constructed in 1734 next to the old cemetery. In 1801, a severe storm broke the church tower. In 1894, the church underwent a complete reconstruction and renovation. At that time, it gained a strict rectangular shape—25 meters long and 12 meters wide—with a reinforced wooden tower ending in a tent-shaped roof. The wooden tower housed three bells, one of which was donated by Queen Louise of Prussia. The three bells rang until 1955.
One tragic episode in the history of the Katyčiai Evangelical Lutheran Church occurred when, in 1955, the Soviet government nationalized the building and decided to turn it into a cinema. The interior was altered: the altar and pulpit were demolished, and all religious symbols were removed. The belfry was torn down, the bells removed—one of them, the gift from Queen Louise, was smashed. No one knows where it was taken afterward. The altar was bricked up, crypts under the floor destroyed, and the organ was wrecked. The locals refused to attend the new “cultural center.” The party committee, having failed, returned the building in 1958. Gradually, the Evangelical Lutheran community began restoring the church. After restoration in 1994, the belfry was rebuilt, a bell was reinstalled, and services are once again held.