The Church of the Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christians is the first and only Roman Catholic church in Neringa, officially opened on 14 June 2003. The architects of the church are from Nida, i.e. Ričardas Krištapavičius and Algimantas Zaviša. The wooden place of worship, designed in contemporary style, has been built on a vanished dune in the centre of the settlement. It blends into the unique landscape. The building manifests traditions of the marine ethnic architecture. The exterior of the church has been lined with dark impregnated oak boards, while its reed roof has become one of its main distinctive features. The church’s white peak with a lattice cross on a glass tower can be seen from all around Nida. From time to time, the settlement’s silence is disturbed by the strikes of the church bell, weighing 1.5 ton and ringing from the church’s roof.
The church’s interior is spacious, with large glass windows, some of which have been decorated with Prof Algirdas Dovydėnas’ monochromatic stained-glass Stations of the Cross. A sculpture of the crucifix by the sculptor Stasys Kuzma hangs above the altar. A joint composition of the altar’s cross, tabernacle and sanctuary lamp (the everlasting light) has been created and made by the sculptor and jeweller from Klaipėda Vytautas Karčiauskas and his daughter, the painter and stained-glass artist Laura Potet. A marble baptismal font stands in front of a fresque by the painter Antanas Chmieliauskas, depicting the baptism of Christ. Outside of the church, an amphitheatre has erected. It becomes a part of the church, once its windows and doors are lifted. The amphitheatre is used for open-air cultural events. Under the church, half-hidden in the dune, a community house has been established.
EN 
LT 
RU 
DE