Tytuvėnai () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the

Kelmė district municipality Kelmė (; ; Yiddish: קעלם) is a city in northwestern Lithuania, a historical region of Samogitia. It has a population of 8,206 and is the administrative center of the Kelmė District Municipality. Name Kelmė's name is likely derived from t ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. It is located east of

Kelmė Kelmė (; ; Yiddish: קעלם) is a city in northwestern Lithuania, a historical region of Samogitia. It has a population of 8,206 and is the administrative center of the Kelmė District Municipality. Name Kelmė's name is likely derived from t ...

. It is known for its Bernardine

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

History

The first church in the town was built in 1555. The construction of the monastery was initiated by Andrius Valavičius and his family, who returned to the Catholic faith after a wave of

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

. The construction plans were prepared in 1614, but the construction started only after the death of Andrius Valavičius in 1618. Works were sponsored by Jeronimas Valavičius, the treasurer of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. In 1633 the main part of monastery and church was completed. In 1772–1780 a courtyard was built, in which

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

were placed. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Tytuvėnai was popular as a resort town due to its location among lakes and forests. In 1923, the town had 1164 inhabitants; 221 of them were Jews who made their living in agriculture and small trades. There was a synagogue and a Beth-Midrash in the town. Rabbi

Yaakov Kamenetsky Yaakov Kamenetsky (February 28, 1891 – March 10, 1986), was a prominent rabbi, rosh yeshiva, ''posek'' and Talmudist in the post-World War II American Jewish community. Biography Yaakov Kamenetsky was born at a folwark called Kalyskovka owned ...

was the rabbi of the Tytuvėnai Jewish community from 1926 until 1937, when he emigrated to America. During World War II, the town was under Soviet occupation from 1940, and then under German occupation from 1941 to 1944. Two mass executions in Tytuvėnai forest took place in August 1941, but before that, according to witnesses, about 30-40 Jews were taken by carts to

Raseiniai Raseiniai (; Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Raseinē'') is a city in Lithuania. It is located on the south eastern foothills of the Samogitians highland, some north from the A1 highway (Lithuania), Kaunas–Klaipėda highway. History Grand ...

and never came back. 15 Jewish men were shot during the first execution in Tytuvėnai forest. The second one took place about a week later, when women, children and the elderly were assembled in the synagogue, then brought to the forest in several trips and shot. Victims had to undress before the execution, while local villagers who were requisitioned to dig waited nearby to cover the bodies. About 160 Jewish women, children and the elderly were shot that day.

Notable People

,Rabbi of Tytevenai, 1926-1937, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, 1944-1964 * Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rosh Yeshiva, Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia * Binyamin Kamenetsky, Founder Yeshiva of South Shore *Nosson Kamenetsky, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivas Itri

Gallery

File:Tytuv%C4%97n%C5%B3_%C5%A0v%C4%8D._Mergel%C4%97s_Marijos_ba%C5%BEny%C4%8Dios_ir_bernardin%C5%B3_vienuolyno_ansamblio_%C5%A0v%C4%8D._Mergel%C4%97s_Marijos%2C_%C5%A0v%C4%8D._M._Marijos_Angel%C5%B3_Karalien%C4%97s_ba%C5%BEny%C4%8Dia_ir_vienuolyno_namas_-_panoramio.jpg, Tytuvėnai Monastery File:Tytuvėnai Monastery Church Interior, Tytuvėnai, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg, Tytuvėnai Monastery Church interior

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tytuvenai Cities in Lithuania Cities in Šiauliai County Rossiyensky Uyezd Holocaust locations in Lithuania Kelmė District Municipality