The Cathedral of Christ The King

After Panevėžys became a diocesan seat in 1926, in 1929 a cathedral was built there (architect Rytis Steikūnas). It is a historical piece of work that embodies typical elements of classicism and baroque and has a single tower and a turret. The facade is decorated with sculptures of Pope Pius XI and Archbishop Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius three metres high. Inside, one can find three naves with reinforced-concrete cylindrical vaulting decorated by the painter Povilas Puzinas. The grand altar features a statue of Christ the King by the sculptor Juozas Zikaras. Beneath the presbytery, there is a spacious chapel, a hall and crypts, one of them the resting place of Kazimieras Paltarokas, the first bishop of Panevėžys. The cathedral was sanctified by Prelate Jonas Mačiulis-Maironis in 1930. In 1933, it was consecrated by Juozas Skvireckas, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kaunas. The cathedral has the custody of several unique late 17th–early 18th century baroque sculptures from the Church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul in Vilnius.