Description
In 1794, through the efforts of Countess Kunigunda Valavičiūtė-Pliaterienė (1760–1846), a wooden late-Baroque church consecrated to Divine Providence was built in Antazavė. The bell tower and gate were built in 1889. The three-storey bell tower narrows towards the top: the two lower storeys are of stone and lime masonry, and the third is brick with open arches. The churchyard gate, of stone and brick, is in the Baroque style and has three openwork metal gates made by a skilful blacksmith. The church is cruciform with a rectangular plan, measuring 33 x 17 m and about 24 m high, with three naves. It is built of logs, clad first with split and later with hewn boards fixed with hand-forged nails. The exterior has complex forms: the main façade features a portico of four wooden columns, the upper storey is divided by pilasters, and the façade is crowned by a Baroque pediment and two massive towers with pointed roofs topped by crosses. The transept is also decorated on the outside with pediments and cornices. The façades are divided by rows of tall, round-topped windows, many of them with coloured stained glass. The roof and tower structures, even the corner joints, were made using only an axe. The interior is basilican. The main altar, built according to the classical orders, is an example of late Baroque. The organ loft rests on two round columns and has a curved balustrade.
