Pagiriai is a small town in the northeast of Kėdainiai District, 35 km east of the district center, near the Rudekšna stream, bordering Panevėžys and Ukmergė districts. Its history dates back to 1626, when the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built on the former Bialozar manor, marking the town’s foundation.
Key historical sites include the cemetery chapel (1823/1827, renovated in 1883), the Neo-Gothic belfry (1911) with an exhibition on the town’s history, and a nearby wooden memorial pillar commemorating Pagiriai’s most important dates. Symbolic oaks — the Oak of Volunteers, the Oak of Rebirth, and the Oak of Remembrance — stand nearby. Both the chapel and belfry are registered cultural heritage sites.
Pagiriai is known as the “land of volunteers”. During 1919, the 1st Pagiriai Defense Detachment was formed, later incorporated into the Panevėžys Battalion; 19 local volunteers were awarded the Cross of Vytis. A 1993 monument and a 2019 memorial plaque honor these heroes, partisans, and deportees.
The town is also the birthplace of Aleksandras Dambrauskas–Adomas Jakštas (1860–1938), a prelate, poet, theologian, philosopher, mathematician, and early Esperanto pioneer. A memorial pillar stands at his birthplace, and his inspiring words are engraved in the town center:
“Work, strive, toil with zeal… Go to the people, bring them joy, feel and love.”
For more information on Pagiriai’s history and cultural sites, contact Rita Mockienė at +370 620 60507.
(Photo: Vaidas Juška)
