Čiurlionis: The Family and the Organ

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, we present a memorial object of special significance in preserving the memory of the Čiurlionis family: the organ from the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kabeliai. Historical research suggests that this instrument originally stood in the old church of Ratnyčia, where M. K. Čiurlionis’s father, Konstantinas Čiurlionis, worked as an organist in 1876–1877. This unique artifact is closely tied to the artist’s early childhood and to the history of Ratnyčia and Kabeliai.

Today, Ratnyčia is a district of Druskininkai, though its origins predate the resort town itself. First mentioned in 1589, Ratnyčia derives its name from the Ratnyčėlė stream. Around 1650, Kazimieras Leonas Sapiega, vice-chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, founded the first church in Ratnyčia, which was served by Jesuits from Merkinė. In 1838, Ratnyčia also saw the establishment of the first mineral water spas and summer cottages for vacationers. However, its further development was halted by a natural disaster – the flood of 1841.

The present brick Church of St. Bartholomew the Apostle is the fourth Catholic sanctuary built in Ratnyčia. It was constructed between 1905 and 1910 by priest Pranas Bernotas, a devoted Lithuanian patriot and close friend of the Čiurlionis family. As the new church began to rise, parishioners from nearby villages petitioned the ecclesiastical authorities in Vilnius to relocate the old wooden church from Ratnyčia to the village of Kabeliai. Permission was granted, and the entire church – along with its furnishings and organ – was transported 20 kilometres to Kabeliai.

A wooden church built in the folk architectural style still stands in Kabeliai today. In 2020, art historian Aušra Česnulevičienė discovered parts of the old Ratnyčia organ stored in the attic of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kabeliai. In 2023, these fragments were transferred to the Museum of Church Heritage for safekeeping.
The exhibition also features a video and sound installation by composer Gintaras Sodeika.