Plateliai Church of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul

In 1523, Mikalojus Jonavičius Kęsgaila, the son of a Samogitian elder, left a portion of his property by will to Plateliai Church. It stood on Šventorkalnis in the 16th century. Later on, for some time it belonged to the Evangelical Reformed, but burned down in the 17th century.

In 1744, parson J. Vaitkevičius and parishioners built the current wooden church from logs. It is one of the oldest remaining wooden churches in Lithuania.

The current bell tower was built in 1899. In 1909, Jonas Garalevičius installed a new organ in the church.

The church has a cross plan with a single small tower and 6 altars. The fence of the churchyard is masonry. There is a wooden bell tower bricked into its corner. Many old paintings, liturgical clothing and accessories were preserved in this place, including a metal goblet, 18th century painting "St. Anne", 19th century painting "Holy Family", three mid-19th century outer garments of a priest worn during Mass (also known as copes), and a 19th century procession cross with the sculpture of the Crucifixion, all of which were declared to be art monuments. The last owner of Plateliai Manor Marie Choiseul-Gouffier and her brother Gabriel Choiseul-Gouffier were buried in the churchyard.

The interior of Plateliai sanctuary is decorated with a high altar and four side altars of Baroque composition. They include pillars, carvings and paintings with silver casings. In the 18th century, all altars were painted white and gilded. The pulpit with its openwork, crowned baldachin was also coloured and decorated with prominent Rococo ornaments. The left chapel includes a Rococo baptistery with a cover under which holy water and baptismal oils are kept. There is a large painting of St. John the Baptist above it. The baptistery has survived since the church was built. The paintings and their casings testify that they are miraculous and provide graces. Expensive casings are a sign that only a wealthy church would have been able to afford such paintings. At the end of the nave there is an organ choir with an arcade at the top and old chanter boxes at the bottom. In the 18th century, this choir included a 10-tone organ, a large drum and loud jingles. The current organ was built in 1909 by a well-known master Jonas Garalevičius. The children of some of the former owners of Plateliai Manor: countess Marija Šuazel and her brother Gabrielius who was the owner of Papilys Manor are buried in the churchyard. There is a parsonage next to the Plateliai Church which was built in 1903.

Sources:

1. https://telsiuvyskupija.lt
2. http://zemaitijosnp.lt