Chapel to mark the first church

The first mention of Šilalė in historical sources dates back to 1533 – the construction of the first church. At one time the settlement used to be referred to as Šilai Garden and later became Šilaukis village.
The church in Šilaukis of that time was built in 1533 by the brothers Jonas and Stanislovas Orvydai. During the same year Bishop Mikalojus Višgaila approved the territory of four buildings and appointed a parson to the newly-established parish.
During the reformation, when the majority of believers followed the liberal teachings of Calvin and Luther, the sons of the founders of Šilalė church did the same. Circa 1573, the church was closed and its land – distributed to the citizens. Several years later Bishop Melchiovas Giedraitis recovered the church, which started hosting holy mass again. The priests litigated with Orvydai family, who didn’t want to lose their land, but in 1696 the parties managed to come to an agreement. In 1690, the Church of Šilalė also received the manors of Bubiškiai and Levo Laukas from the landowner Dovydas Aušbikavičius. Since the 17th c., Šilalė Church used to receive 6 mites for each volok of arable land.
The first church of Šilalė was small, built of wood and, with occasional renovations, managed to survive until 1769 – the construction of the new brick church.
Its completion was funded by Pranciškus Pilsudskis, landowner of Šilutė and scribe of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The simple and undecorated church stood there for about 80 years and nearly collapsed. Renovations began only with the appointment of the new parson Julijonas Bogušas in 1850. With the help of the congregation, in two years the church was completely renovated and decorated. In 1854, it has been consecrated as the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Samogitian Bishop Motiejus Valančius. The old churchyard marks the location of the first church of Šilalė.
Thus, since 1533, there were three wooden churches, the brick church was built in 1779 and demolished in 1903, replaced by the the Church of St Francis of Assisi, which continues to stand there to this day.

Compiled in 2018