At the beginning of the 19th century, an Old Believer community operated in the village, and, apparently, 150 years ago their prayer house was preserved. In 1924, the only Lithuanian school was established in the entire territory, which operated until 1930.
The roof of the St. Nicholas Church has been renovated:
The St. Michael's Church, located in the village of Mikalavas, Naujasis Daugėliškis eldership, Ignalina district, was built around 1800 and is currently the oldest operating Old Believer church in Lithuania. Until now, all repair work on the building has been carried out solely through the efforts and personal funds of community members. However, the condition of the roof has become very poor, posing a threat to both people and the building itself, as the ceilings, walls, and altars were getting wet. The Mikalavas Old Believer religious community appealed to the municipality for help and submitted an application under the budget-financed financing program for non-governmental organizations and religious communities. Financial support of 13 thousand euros was received for the roof repair.
As Nina Golubova, a member of the religious community, said, it was a very significant support that made everyone very happy and seemed to ignite their hearts for work and even greater sacrifice. People contributed in whatever way they could, local farmers helped a lot. Since all the work on replacing the roof and making the domes (the old ones were completely dilapidated) cost more than 20 thousand euros, it was necessary to make a lot of effort. The result is excellent. Today, the roof of the Mikalava prayer house shines from afar. The construction work was carried out by Darius Vaišnoras' company, „Jungstata“. Of course, repairs are needed both inside and outside the building, but now the most important thing is that the new roof will protect the walls from moisture.
Nina, who sincerely cares about the premises and the preservation of traditions, said that during major Christian holidays, about 40–50 believers gather here, services are ordered during funerals or commemorations of relatives, and sometimes a funeral service is also held. People come from surrounding villages, even from Ignalina. So, a house of prayer is very necessary.
In implementing the financing program for non-governmental organizations and religious communities financed by the Ignalina district municipality budget, in 2025, funds (a total of 80 thousand euros) were allocated to 25 projects (organization of events, traditional holidays, education, participation in international sports competitions, etc.) through two calls. In addition to the funds allocated for the roof repair work of the Mikalavas St. Michael's Church, support was also received by the Naujasis Daugėliškis St. Joachim and St. Anne parish and the Lukošiškės Old Believers community. Information prepared by Lina Kovalevskienė.
Information updated 2025-12-15
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