Zapyškis Church

There is another Gothic masterpiece - the Church of St. John the Baptist built by Vytautas the Great - on the left bank of the Nemunas river, in Zapyškis town, Kaunas district. At least legends say so. Archaeological research and written sources claim that the church was built in the 16^th century. The church was first mentioned in 1562. Its builder and patron was Povilas Sapiega, the representative of the famous Sapiegos family. For centuries, this Gothic shrine was devastated not only by the plague, wars, and foreign armies, but also by the Nemunas floods which destroyed the presbytery. Floods raged until 1960 when the dam of Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant was built. Although the church has been repaired and renovated for several times, it has retained its most characteristic Gothic features, such as nearly square one-room space, massiveness, and dominating high gable red roof with modest decorative elements. The Church is a monument of Gothic architecture protected and guarded by the state.

Kaunas

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