The Samogitian Diocese Museum () is a museum dedicated to the former

Diocese of Samogitia The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kaunas () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Lithuania. The episcopal see is in Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. The archdiocese's motherchurch and cat ...

(reorganized into the

Diocese of Telšiai In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

in 1926). Established in 1999, the museum is located in the building of the former

Varniai Priest Seminary Kaunas Priest Seminary () is the largest seminary in Lithuania serving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas. It is part of the Faculty of Theology of Vytautas Magnus University. Its current rector is Aurelijus Žukauskas. As of 2007, the semi ...

which was relocated to

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

after the failed

Uprising of 1863 The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last in ...

. The museum is a branch of the based in

Telšiai Telšiai (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Telšē'') is a city in Lithuania with about 21,499 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on the shores of Lake Mastis. Telšiai is one of the ol ...

History

The

was established when Samogitia officially converted to Catholicism in 1417. The seat of the diocese was in

Varniai Varniai (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Varnē'') is a city in the Telšiai County, western Lithuania. In the Middle Ages the city was known as Medininkai (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Medėninkā''). Etymology ''Medininkai'' or ''M ...

sometimes also known as Medininkai. The

was established only in 1623 by Bishop

Stanisław Kiszka Stanisław Piotrowicz Kiszka (; died in 1513 or 1514) was a noble, diplomat and military commander from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He became the progenitor of the prominent Kiszka family. He was sent on frequent diplomatic missions to the Grand ...

. Until 1743, the seminary shared premises with the

Kražiai College The Kražiai College () was a Jesuit college (equivalent to a modern secondary school) in Kražiai, Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later Russian Empire. Established in 1616 in hopes to educate new generations of Counter-Reformation, anti-Protestants ...

. In 1770, a new brick building in the late

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

was built by Bishop .

Motiejus Valančius Motiejus Kazimieras Valančius (; , also known by his pen-name ''Joteika'' and ''Ksiądz Maciek''; 1801–1875) was a Catholic Bishop of Samogitia, historian and one of the best known Lithuanian/Samogitian writers of the 19th century. Biograph ...

, future bishop, began his studies at the seminary in 1822. From 1845 to 1850, he was the seminary's rector. When he became the bishop, Valančius organized a

teetotalism Teetotalism is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler (US) or teetotaller (UK), or said to b ...

movement, spent considerable effort on educating children and adults, and organised the smuggling and distribution of the banned Lithuanian books. Valančius lived in a wooden building next to the seminary and planted an

avenue Avenue or Avenues may refer to: Roads * Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees) * Avenue Road, Bangalore * Avenue Road, Lon ...

poplar trees ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

and established a garden with about twenty different species of fruit trees. After the failed anti-Tsarist

, Tsarist authorities relocated the seminary to

. The former seminary building in Varniai was used as military barracks. In 1927–1931, the building housed the Varniai concentration camp. The new regime of President

Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual, journalist and politician. He served as the first president of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and later as the authoritarian head of state from 1926 until the Occu ...

used the camp to house political prisoners, mainly members of the outlawed

Communist Party of Lithuania The Communist Party of Lithuania (; ) is a banned communist party in Lithuania. The party was established in early October 1918 and operated clandestinely until it was legalized in 1940 after the Soviet invasion and occupation. The party was ...

. The building housed a secondary school in 1947–1961, and student dormitory and storage of a technical school in 1964–1984. Historical, archaeological, architectural studies of the building were carried out in 1984–1990. The bell tower (burned down in 1785) and the original Baroque roof were reconstructed in 1991–1995 based on the original building depicted in a portrait of Jan Dominik Łopaciński. In 1999, the

government of Lithuania The Government of Lithuania, officially the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (GRL), is the Cabinet (government), cabinet of and exercising executive power in Lithuania. Among other responsibilities, it executes laws and resolutions of the ...

and the

established the Samogitian Diocese Museum. Over the years, the building suffered heavy damage and neglect, and requires extensive repairs. On 1 July 2015, the Samogitian Diocese Museum became a branch of the based in

Museum

The garden that was planted by Valančius is now known as Valančius garden and has a monument with his bust (sculptor , erected in 1927). The bust was removed by the authorities of the

Lithuanian SSR The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; ; ), also known as Soviet Lithuania or simply Lithuania, was '' de facto'' one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union between 1940–1941 and 1944–1990. After 1946, its terr ...

in 1951. A local man hid the bust and it was reinstalled in its original location in 1990. In 1999, the year the museum opened and the 400th anniversary of the publication of the ''Postil'' of Mikalojus Daukša, a monument to Bishop

Merkelis Giedraitis Merkelis Giedraitis (; – 6 April 1609) was Bishop of Samogitia from 1576 to 1609. Educated at Protestant universities in the Duchy of Prussia and Germany, he actively combated the Reformation implementing resolutions of the Council of Trent in ...

and

Mikalojus Daukša Mikalojus Daukša (other possible spellings include ''Mikalojus Daugsza'', and ''Mikolay Dowksza''; after 1527 – 16 February 1613 in Varniai, Medininkai) was a Lithuanian language, Lithuanian and Latin language, Latin religious writer, transla ...

was unveiled next to the museum. The museum collect various objects related to history, art, and religion in

Samogitia Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...

. Its collections include archaeological artifacts found during excavations in Varniai, physharmonica and church organ (built in 1909), various liturgical and religious objects (sculptures, crosses, banners, icons, paintings,

vestment Vestments are Liturgy, liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity, Christian religion, especially by Eastern Christianity, Eastern Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. ...

s), 5,557 religious postcards and medals donated by Algimantas Urbonas, various records and documents from local parishes, etc. In 2005, the museum acquired 290 items that were hidden in 1944 at the Manor. The manor owners retreated from the approaching Red Army to France and their descendant returned to the manor to find the hoard. The items include sets of

Meissen Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...

and

Rosenthal Rosenthal is a German and Jewish surname meaning "rose valley". The Lithuanized form is Rosenthalis. Notable people with the name include: A * Abe M. Rosenthal (1922–2006), ''New York Times'' editor and columnist * Albert Rosenthal (1863– ...

porcelain dishes and two early 19th-century pistols. Another cache of documents and four family photo albums was found at Biržuvėnai after a fire in December 2004; the photo albums were acquired by the museum. The museum organizes excursions, art and history exhibitions, lectures, and other events.

Gallery

File:Samogitian diocese museum in Varniai and Bp. M. Valančius garden 93.jpg, Aerial view of the museum File:Žemaičių vyskupystės muziejus Varniuose 4.jpg, Monument to Bishop

and priest

File:Žemaičių vyskupystės muziejus Varniuose .jpg, Crypt in the museum

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web, first1=Adomas , last1=Butrimas , first2=Povilas , last2=Šverebas , title=Kražių buvęs jėzuitų vienuolynas bei kolegija ir Švč. Mergelės Marijos Ėmimo į dangų bažnyčia , url=http://vienuolynai.mch.mii.lt/V8-46/Kraziu.htm , date=31 May 2000 , access-date=5 March 2020 , work=Lietuvos vienuolynai. Vadovas , publisher=Vilniaus dailės akademijos leidykla, language=lt {{cite web, url=http://www.varniai-museum.lt/index.php?mid=30&langID=1 , title=Muziejaus rinkiniai , publisher=Samogitian Diocese Museum , language=lt , access-date=28 February 2020 {{cite web , first=Antanas , last=Ivinskis , title=Žemaičių vyskupystės 600 metų jubiliejus. Trys parodos , url=http://www.bernardinai.lt/straipsnis/2017-08-19-zemaiciu-vyskupystes-600-metu-jubiliejus-trys-parodos/162783 , publisher=Bernardinai.lt , date=19 September 2017 , language=lt , access-date=28 February 2020 {{cite web , first=Alvydas , last=Ivoncius , url=http://www.kalvotoji.lt/2017/01/02/muziej-sujungimo-rezultatas-pradingo-investicijos/ , title=Muziejų sujungimo rezultatas: pradingo investicijos , date=2 January 2017 , publisher=Kalvotoji Žemaitija , language=lt , access-date=28 February 2020 {{cite journal, first=Jolanta , last=Juozapavičienė , title=Biržuvėnų lobį iškasė pati šeimininkė , url=http://www.varniai-museum.lt/index.php?mid=36&art=393&langID=1 , journal=Telšių žinios , date=28 June 2005 , volume=50 , page=4 , language=lt , access-date=28 February 2020 {{cite web , title=Varniuose žiba Biržuvėnų dvaro porcelianas , url=https://kultura.lrytas.lt/-11610889001160554552-varniuose-%C5%BEiba-bir%C5%BEuv%C4%97n%C5%B3-dvaro-porcelianas.htm , website=Lrytas.lt , language=lt , date=17 October 2006 , access-date=28 February 2020 {{cite web, title=Žemaičių vyskupystės muziejus – regiono krikščionybės istorijos ir vyskupo M. Valančiaus praeities liudytojas , url=https://www.lrytas.lt/zmones/keliones/2019/11/28/news/zemaiciu-vyskupystes-muziejus-regiono-krikscionybes-istorijos-ir-vyskupo-m-valanciaus-praeities-liudytojas-12705337/ , website=Lrytas.lt , language=lt , date=28 November 2019 , access-date=28 February 2020 {{cite web, url=http://www.varniai-museum.lt/index.php?langID=1&mid=89&mod=WebPage , title=Glausta muziejaus rūmų istorija , publisher=Samogitian Diocese Museum , language=lt , access-date=28 February 2020 {{Cite web, url=http://www.samogit.lt/mpkelias/muziejai/zemaicius_vyskupijos_muziejus.lt.htm , title=Žemaičių vyskupystės muziejus , work=Žemaitijos muziejų ir parkų kelias , publisher=Regionų kultūrinių iniciatyvų centras , language=lt , date=1 September 2014 , access-date=18 February 2020 {{cite web , first=Aurelija , last=Servienė, title=Varniai. Šeimininkai nori atsikratyti didingu paminklu prie Žemaičių vyskupystės muziejaus , url= http://tzinios.lt/varniai-seimininkai-nori-atsikratyti-didingu-paminklu-prie-zemaiciu-vyskupystes-muziejaus/ , date=5 August 2016 , publisher=Telšių žinios , language=lt , access-date=28 February 2020 {{cite journal , first=Vitas , last=Valatka , title=Varnių koncentracijos stovykla , url=http://samogitia.mch.mii.lt/ZZ_2011_7/ZZ_2011_7_24_27.pdf , language=lt , journal=Žemaičių žemė , issn=1392-2610 , year=2011 , volume=7 , pages=24–27 {{cite encyclopedia , first= , last= , date=28 August 2019 , orig-year=2013 , url=https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/Motiejus-Valancius-99089 , title=Motiejus Valančius , encyclopedia=

Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija The ''Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija'' or VLE () is a 25-volume universal Lithuanian-language encyclopedia published by the Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Institute from 2001 to 2014. VLE is the first published universal encyclopedia i ...

, publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras , lang=lt {{cite web , url=https://www.zemai.lt/en/sightseeing-places/m-valancius-garden-and-samogitian-diocese-museum/ , title=M. Valančius' garden and Samogitian diocese museum , publisher=Žemaitijos turizmo gidas , access-date=4 March 2020 Museums established in 1999 1999 establishments in Lithuania Museums in Telšiai County History museums in Lithuania Telšiai District Municipality Baroque architecture in Lithuania