Author: Raminta Mačytė

When the war between Germany and the Soviet Union began in 1941, the first 32 Jews of Marijampolė were killed in Marijampolė on July 7, and on July 18, another 53 were killed. That was just the beginning. On September 1, 1941, more than six thousand people were killed in the barracks shooting range, including almost all Marijampopolė Jews. The massacre was carried out by the "flying squad" of Joachim Hammann, which was based on the Lithuanian National Labour Protection Battalion, or rather, the 3rd Staple. In Marijampolė, the massacre of Jews took place in the territory of the city, so the whole Marijampolė heard gunshots and screams of victims. Part of our city was buried here.

Jews were buried in the new Jewish cemetery between 1918 and 1940. It was not until 1992 that they were renewed. Eleven stone tombstones were discovered during the management of the cemetery. Ten of them were lined up in a circle, which probably symbolized the minjan, which portrayed in the Jewish religion that a number of ten adult men had to pray together. One tombstone was left behind, at the site of its discovery. The foundations of the fence of these cemeteries are also preserved.

The old Jewish cemetery was established in the second half of the 18th century. Here, the first Rabbi of Marijampole, Haim Perelmuter Sheršover rests, who built the first wooden synagogue in our city around 1825. The cemetery was destroyed during the Soviet occupation. In 1991, a monumental stone was erected on the territory of the former cemetery.

The remains of the teacher, poet and translator, Lithuanian press distributor Petras Arminas–Trupinėlis‘s rest in Marijampole's old cemetery, alongside the kens (symbolic tombs) of the famous teacher, book spreader Petras Kriaučiūnas and the author of the first Lithuanian historical novel Algimantas, Vincas Pietaris. In this cemetery, near the central trail there is the tomb of the writer Žematė, Rimantas Juknevičius, who died on January 13, 1991. There is also Marijonai tomb in the old Marijampolė cemetery in the middle of Marijampolė Old Cemetery, on the right of the central path – The Marion Congregation of St. Peter's Square in Lithuania. Tombs of monks, the first members of the renewed monastic church such as J. Totoraitis, priests V. Dvaranauskas, J. Navickas, J. Kazak and many other priests and brothers Marions rest there.

When the noble Butleriai, with the help of the Marian monks, began to build a new town in Marijampole, they realized that there must be a cemetery in it. The privilege given by the nobles in 1758 states that the Marians must establish a cemetery in the territory, between Šešupė and the orchards. It was a place both close to the church and together outside the town. The cemetery was close to Ražančkelis, which connected the Kvietiškis manor managed by Butleris and the Marijampolė church. These cemeteries are also depicted on maps made by the Prussians in the early 19th century. About a hundred men who died in the 1831 uprising lay in the cemetery.  Because the plot of land was small and there was almost no spot, the cemetery was closed in 1850. During the press ban, book spreaders visited this place at night. On May 28, 1905, the first Lithuanian public performance "Amerika pirtyje" in Sūduva was performed in a large wooden club in the north-eastern corner of this territory (now on the northern side of Alyvų Street). After the restoration of Lithuania's independence, the fate of the cemetery was unknown and the place was included in the list of heritage monuments to be protected by the state. On October 9, 2014, a monument created by the sculptor Julius Narušis was unveiled in the cemetery center.

In Vytautas the Great Park in 1991 June 14 the Chapel of Suffering  was unveiled. An inscription is inscribed at the foot of the chapel, “We were robbed of blood by our native stump. Our wounds were made with forged shoes. A. Miškinis. 1940-1955." The construction of the chapel was initiated by the Marijampolė branch of the Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners in Deportation (LPKTS MS), designed by architect Zenonas Galadauskas.  The location for the construction of the chapel was chosen not by chance. It stands between the building of the Vilkaviškis diocese curia (P. Kriaučiūno str. 17) and V. Bagdonas‘ house (Vytauto str. 26). Victims of the NKGB, NKVD and Gestapo were tortured here. The buildings were equipped with interrogation rooms and prison cells, where Lithuanian freedom fighters and civilians were interrogated, tortured and killed. The tortured and murdered were buried right here in the park.

The Trinity Orthodox Church was built in the city's old cemetery in 1907 (elsewhere the date is 1901). It is believed that the author of the project is the county engineer Valerijus Rybarskis. The red brick, single-storey church with a tower building dominates the entire cemetery area. On the west side there is a pentagonal cloak, which is covered by arch-based mounds, in the east there is an ante with a turret and a bell tower. The inner space is separated from the shelter by a plastered overlay from the bottom.

Elizabeth Bendoravičiūtė was a founder of the Monastic Sisters of the Holy Family. With the support of like-minded people, Elizabeth wrote the provisions and on March 11, 1931 established the Lithuanian Catholic Community "Sesutės". The goal was to help people in misery through care, education and brushing in their poverty. Elizabeth was most concerned about the situation of women. She sought to provide education to ordinary village and town girls by setting up a Crafts School. Benefactors gave the sisters a plot of land, where in 1932 the building of the community and the School of Crafts began to be built. In 1935, the house was completed, sisters settled in it, and a seamstress was opened. At that time, the community had 25 girls. In Soviet times, in 1948, a children's home was established in a building deprived of monks. During all the years of Soviet occupation, the sisters carried out their mission, tried to live in communities, apostasy of prayer and activities. There are currently over 30 sisters in the monastery. They live and work in Marijampolė, Vilnius, Kaunas, Vilkaviškis and Rome (Italy). They pay a particular attention to families, children and young people.

Vilkaviškis Diocese Curia in Marijampolė was established in 1991, in a building returned by a secular government. The modernist-style building in Vytautas Park was built in 1934 according to the project of the famous architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. Then the house of the priests' rest home operated here, various institutions were established during the Soviet era, and after Lithuania regained its independence, the building was renovated and the Curia of Vilkaviškis diocese was established there.

In 1936, the priest Pijus Andziulis, a senior of Marijampolė Marion House, was summoned to the village of Skardupiai. Poor roads led to the idea of proposing to build a church and establish a parish in this place. On September 6, 1937, architect Romanas Steikūnas prepared a project of Skardupiai Church with a bell tower (the bell tower remained unbuilt). In the late 1940s, the Parish of Skardupiai was founded, and a year later st. Mass was perfromed in the new church. It is the only church in Lithuania built and consecrated in the first years of Soviet occupation. During the German occupation, during World War II, a brick cleric, an outbuilding and a parish house with a hall were built. All constructions were organized by the cleric Antanas Ylius, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1945.