The first Orthodox church in Užpaliai, consecrated in 1866 in honour of St. Vladimir, stood approximately 2.5 km from the town, in the village of Mažeikiškės. Following the confiscation of Sapiega’s manor estate, the Russian community received 42 hectares of land along with three buildings, one brick and two wooden. One of the wooden structures of the manor, with the addition of a bell tower, served as a temporary church. In 1872, Governor General of Vilnius Mikhail Muravyov funded the construction of the brick church of St. Nicholas on the grounds of the Užpaliai manor. Throughout both World Wars, the church sustained damage. In the summer of 1948, the parish was disbanded and the church building was repurposed as a pea warehouse. However, in December of the same year, the church was returned to the Orthodox believers.
Photos by Jovita Žiukelienė
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