Stačiatikių paveldas Užnemunėje

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Rusijos imperija, Stačiatikių Bažnyčia, religinė tolerancija, ateistinė politika, urbanistika.

ENThe Orthodox Church does not have deep roots in the Užnemunė region. All churches were built by the tsar's government in 1870-1913. There were about 15 churches in 7 towns - Alytus, Kalvarija, Kybartai, Marijampolė, Naumiestis (called Vladislavov in tsar times), Vilkaviškis and Vištytis. Unlike in Kaunas province, where colonies of Russian peasants formed, the churches in Užnemunė were first built in large transport and customs centres on the Prussian border or in troop dislocation areas. After the restoration of an independent state of Lithuania, Orthodox parishes lost their land, churches and other buildings. Five biggest conveniently located churches (those of Alytus, Kalvarija, Kybartai, Marijampolė and Vilkaviškis) were reconstructed and became Catholic churches. Nevertheless, Orthodox community in Užnemunė demonstrated remarkable vital capacity - in 1940, it already had five churches. Priests, though, were only in Kybartai and Marijampolė. In Soviet times, due to migration and secularisation of society, the number of Orthodox believers was continuously decreasing. Three churches remained active for some time. Small Orthodox communities have survived in Kybartai and Alytus until present. Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, we are left with mere fragments of the Orthodox tradition. Church buildings add variety to the urban landscape of Suvalkija. They are a living memory of the times when the country was part of the Russian empire and, if they belong to Catholics, of religious intolerance. Orthodoxy is dying out in the region, leaving its mark in the country's history, but hardly distinguishable in its culture. [From the publication]