Private demonstration · materials for review
Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother SophiaKlaipėda

KLAIPĖDA · SINCE 1995

Parish history

People, events and shared endeavours — from the first Liturgy in 1995 to the gatherings preserved in our parish archive.

Iconostasis and church interior in a photograph from the parish archive
Church interior · photograph date unknown.
Parish photo archive ↗

Select an event to read its story.

1995–1999

The parish’s early years

From the first Liturgy in a classroom to a community, its ministry and its first publications.

  1. 1995 The first Liturgy

    4 January — the parish begins at School No. 17.

    Headteacher Vladimir Artamonov offered a classroom for the church. Priest Ilya Shapiro became its first rector.

    Parish source

  2. 1997 Ministry and the printed word

    Ordination to the diaconate. A Christian page begins in the local newspaper.1 entry

    Vladimir Artamonov was ordained a deacon while continuing to work as the school’s headteacher.

    Events and materials

    1. 1997–2007A Christian newspaper pageWeekly contributions to the newspaper “Klaipėda”.

      The page ceased publication when the newspaper’s Russian edition closed.

      History of the publishing work
    Parish source

  3. 1998 A school church and a new parish

    Ordination to the priesthood in January, followed by a project for a new church.

    Vladimir Artamonov became the parish’s second priest. A proposal for the Protection–St Nicholas Church was submitted to the city authorities; some parishioners helped establish the new community.

    Parish source

  4. 1999 “I Will Not Leave You Orphans”

    A book about Priest Pontius Rupyshev.

    The parish publication was issued by Palomnik in Moscow. It includes recollections by V. N. Koretskaya and writings by Father Pontius.

    The book in the parish bibliographyView on the parish website

SINCE 2003

Shared endeavours and long-running projects

Art, education and parish publishing. Each story contains its own sequence of events.

  1. 2003–2020 “Slavic Spring”

    Children’s art, cultural heritage and gatherings at the art gallery.5 events

    The parish and the Slovo society organised an international competition commemorating Saints Cyril and Methodius. Selected events and materials from its archive follow.

    Events and materials

    1. 2014Participants’ catalogueA surviving competition document.

      The parish website links to a catalogue of participants. After the school closed, the final exhibitions took place at the art gallery.

      Open the catalogue page
    2. 26 May 2015Exhibition and awardsThe 12th competition at the Pranas Domšaitis Gallery.

      Participants from the Klaipėda region received awards at the ceremony. The year’s archive includes a catalogue and a list of prize-winners.

      Report and documents from 2015
    3. 25 May 2016Prize-winners’ exhibitionThe 13th children’s drawing competition.

      The final exhibition opened at the Klaipėda Art Gallery. The parish report includes an account of the gathering and links to the catalogue, results and photographs by Viktor Komar.

      Report and documents from 2016
    4. 24 May 2018Young artists come togetherExhibition and awards for the 15th competition.

      Prize-winners from Lithuania and their teachers were honoured at the gallery. That year’s programme included a category marking the centenary of the restoration of the Lithuanian state.

      Report, catalogue and results
    5. May 2019An exhibition in KlaipėdaOpening of the prize-winners’ exhibition.

      The exhibition report closes the parish’s general timeline of events.

      Go to the May 2019 event ↓
    Parish source

  2. 2004–2020 “Rublev Readings”

    Gatherings on Orthodox culture, history and education.1 entry

    This international academic and educational conference commemorated Saint Andrei Rublev.

    Events and materials

    1. 2012The conference in the photo archiveA record of one gathering.

      The parish history page preserves a photograph of the conference dated 2012. A detailed programme of that gathering is not reproduced here.

      Open the history page
    Parish source

  3. 2005 Appointment of the rector

    Vladimir Artamonov was appointed rector in March.

    The month of his appointment is given in the parish history.

    Parish source

  4. 2012–2020 “Blagovestnik”

    The deanery’s monthly newsletter.

    Parishioners produced the newsletter. They also helped create the deanery website.

    About the publicationView on the parish website

  5. 2014 A new venue for exhibitions

    After the Andrei Rublev School closed, exhibitions moved to the gallery.

    This refers to the general school named after Andrei Rublev, not to the closing date of the children’s Sunday school. The Klaipėda Art Gallery became the venue for the final “Slavic Spring” exhibitions.

    Parish source

2017–2019

People and gatherings in the parish archive

Celebrations, care for others and children’s creativity, told through individual events.

  1. 2017–2018Sunday school

    Lessons, children’s performances, celebrations and trips with parents.
    A Sunday school photograph from the parish archive
    Parish photo archive · photograph date unknown.

    Zhanna Khekalo led the school for many years. Children studied the Orthodox faith, Church history and Christian art.

    These are the years of surviving publications, not the school’s opening and closing dates. Lessons and trips have their own timeline.

    Sunday school history →

  2. 2018 Children, gatherings and works of mercy

    Parish celebrations, lessons and trips.4 events

    The archive preserves accounts of particular events from this year.

    Events and materials

    1. Bright Week · 2018“Paschal Joy”A festival attended by the parish Sunday school.

      The children’s festival took place during Bright Week. Its story is preserved in the Sunday school timeline.

      Open the event in the school’s history →
    2. 17 June 2018A lesson about beesA parishioner and beekeeper met children and parents.

      The meeting with beekeeper Nikolai Gorchakov brought the school year to a close. Read more in the school archive.

      Open the event in the school’s history →
    3. 26 June 2018A trip to KretingaA prayer service, local history and an introduction to crafts.

      Children and parents visited Kretinga. The prayer service, museum and crafts are described in the school archive.

      Open the event in the school’s history →
    4. 2018 · day not specifiedSisters of MercyServing those who need help.

      Yulia Patrova and Apollinaria Chaplinskaya were received as Sisters of Mercy in the sisterhood of Saint Charitina of Lithuania.

      Read the publication
    Parish source

  3. May 2019 Children’s artwork at the gallery

    An exhibition of “Slavic Spring” prize-winners.

    The parish photo archive records the opening of the exhibition at the Klaipėda Art Gallery. The exact day is not given.

    Competition materialsView on the parish website

History lives on in memories

If you have photographs, letters or memories of parish and Sunday school life, you can share them with the parish. They will help us add to this timeline.

Write to the parish →

PARISH LIFE

Not everything has a date

Icon painting, wood carving, choir singing and visiting the sick are described in the parish history without precise dates for individual stages.

Read the church’s history