PLACES TO VISIT

Orvydas Homestead-Museum

Stone master, Franciscan, and herald of freedom Vilius Orvidas left this world too early. However, he left an indelible mark — an oasis of freedom, beauty, and chaos, and a search for God created by his own hands. Those who have visited the Orvidas Homestead say they have never seen anything like it before. Others call it a museum of chaos and nonsense that leaves no one indifferent. Be that as it may, year after year V. Orvidas brought to his parents’ land things that seemed useless to others — century-old felled oaks, stones unearthed during land reclamation works, and discarded household utensils. He arranged these items alongside his own works of stone and wood. Over time, this grew into a homestead which, from a bird’s-eye view, resembles the eye of God. One can walk around the homestead for hours, discovering multiple layers of meaning — life, religion, philosophy.