PLACES TO VISIT

Grave of Jurgis Pabrėža

It is said that if you really want to understand a culture, you should visit a cemetery. If you want to know Kretinga, you should also visit its cemetery. One of the many graves in the old cemetery of Kretinga is particularly well-known. It is the grave of the Franciscan monk Jurgis Ambrozijus Pabrėža. In the 19th century, Father Ambrozijus was famous for his sermons. He was a great teacher, but people often addressed him as a doctor. Having studied botany and medicine, Father Ambrozijus examined the healing properties of plants and was especially valued as a people's doctor. A cross was erected on his modest grave only several decades after his death. Later, during the interwar period, a neo-Gothic chapel was built on the grave under the leadership of the head of the Franciscan monastery, Augustinas Dirvelė. It is still visited by the residents of Kretinga, who light candles and pray for grace.