Christ the King Cathedral, Panevėžys
| Cathedral of Christ the King Kristaus Karaliaus katedra |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Panevėžys, Lithuania |
| Geographic coordinates | 55°43′22″N 24°21′32″E / 55.72278°N 24.35889°ECoordinates: 55°43′22″N 24°21′32″E / 55.72278°N 24.35889°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Country | Lithuania |
| Year consecrated | 1933 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Status | Active |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Rytis Steikūnas |
| Architectural style | Eclecticism |
| Groundbreaking | 1908 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | East |
| Length | 55 metres (180 ft) |
| Width | 27 metres (89 ft) |
| Height (max) | 16 metres (52 ft) |
| Spire(s) | One |
| Spire height | 55 metres (180 ft) |
| Materials | Brick, reinforced concrete |
The Cathedral of Christ the King (Lithuanian: Kristaus Karaliaus katedra) in Panevėžys, Lithuania, is a Roman Catholic cathedral, seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Panevėžys.
In 1860, bishop Motiejus Valančius began preparations for construction of a new church in Panevėžys. However, after the Uprising of 1863, the Tsarist authorities implemented Russification policies, including the Lithuanian press ban and suppression of the Catholic Church. The authorities forbade construction of any new Catholic churches and closed the Piarist church leaving only the Church of Saints Peter and Paul to service the Catholic inhabitants of Panevėžys. A permission for construction was obtained in 1904, but the work was delayed by the Russo-Japanese War and the Revolution of 1905 until 1908. Until World War I, a rectory and a temporary chapel were completed while church's walls rose up to the windows. The church was to be named after Saint Stanislaus the Martyr.
After the war the construction was abandoned until April 1926 when Pope Pius XI established the Roman Catholic Diocese of Panevėžys. Architect Rytis Steikūnas and engineer Aleksandras Gordevičius redesigned and expanded the church as it now was to serve as a cathedral. The unfinished cathedral was blessed by Jonas Mačiulis (better known as Maironis) on Saint Casimir's Day (March 4) in 1930. For that occasion Maironis wrote a hymn dedicated to Christ the King. Four bells from Apolda, Germany, were blessed in 1931. The largest, weighing 1,628 kilograms (3,589 lb), is dedicated to Christ the King. The organ, produced by Bruno Goebel in Königsberg, has three manuals. The cathedral was consecrated during a Eucharistic Congress on June 30, 1933, by Juozapas Skvireckas, Archbishop of Kaunas. The interior was decorated by local painter Povilas Puzinas in 1938–1939.
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