Religion in Lithuania

Part of a series on the
Culture of Lithuania
History
People
Languages
Mythology
Cuisine
Festivals
Religion
Art
Literature
Music
Media Radio Television Cinema
Sport
Monuments World Heritage Sites
Symbols Flag Coat of arms National anthem
Lithuania portal
v t e

According to the

According to the 2010

History

The first census in independent Lithuania, in 1923, established the following religious distribution: Catholic — 85.7 per cent; Jews — 7.7 per cent; Protestant — 3.8 per cent; Greek Orthodox — 2.7 per cent.^[3]

Population by religious confession

According to the 2021 census:^[1]

• Catholic – 74.19% (2,085,340)
• Orthodox – 3.75% (105,326)
• Orthodox Old Believers – 0.65% (18,196)
• Evangelical Lutherans – 0.56% (15,741)
• Evangelical Reformed
  – 0.2% (5,540)
• Sunni Muslim - 0.08% (2,165)
• Baptists and free churchpersons - 0.04% (1,092)
• Judaic – 0.03% (899)
• Greek Catholics (Uniates) – 0.03% (785)
• Karaites – 0.01% (255)
• Other religions – 0.58% (16,486)
• No religion – 6.11% (171,810)
• Did not specify – 13.67% (384,094)

Christianity

Catholic Church

According to the 2021 census, 74% of Lithuanians belonged to the Catholic Church,^[1] which has claimed the adherence of the majority of Lithuanians since the Christianization of Lithuania in the 14th and 15th centuries.^[4] Lithuania kept its Catholic identity under the Russian Empire and later under the Soviet Union when some Catholic priests led the resistance against the Communist regime, which is commemorated in the Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai, a shrine to the anti-communist resistance.

Greek Catholics

The center of

In the 16th century, Protestantism began spreading rapidly in Lithuania. The first wave of Protestantism was Lutheranism that reached Lithuania through Prussia; the second wave was Calvinism that mostly spread through Poland. This was because many Lithuanians had a relatively poor understanding of Catholic beliefs as there were few Lithuanian-speaking priests at the time. In addition, many sons of influential Lithuanian nobles would study abroad in Germany where they would learn about the ideas of Reformation. When they returned home, they would oftentimes use their right of patronage to confiscate Catholic churches and give them to pastors, convert their serfs either to Lutheranism or Calvinism. In 1536, the prevalence of Protestantism grew even more as Radziwiłł, Billewicz, Chodkiewicz families left the Roman Catholic Church. However, Protestantism in Lithuania Proper eventually lost ground as it failed to secure the support from the local clergymen and were at odds with one another, which weakened their positions in the country. There were also religious persecutions, which caused many Lithuanian pastors to flee to Lithuania Minor. Despite this, Protestantism remained to have a strong presence in Lithuania Proper until the late 17th century.^[6]

Today

Lutheranism in Lithuania dates back to the 16th century, when it came mainly from the neighbouring German-controlled areas of Livonia and East Prussia. A Synod in Vilnius united the church in 1557. The parish network covered nearly all of the Grand Duchy, with district centers in Vilnius, Kedainai, Biržai, Slucke, Kojdanove and Zabludove later Izabeline. Small Protestant communities are dispersed throughout the northern and western parts of the country.

The majority of

Since 1945, Lutheranism in Lithuania has declined largely due to the ongoing secularization that sweeps throughout Europe.

Calvinism

The Lithuanian Evangelical Reformed Church is a historic denomination which was founded in 1557. A notable member was Szymon Zajcusz. In the second half of the 16th century the Unitarians separated. The denomination has over 7,000 members in 14 congregations. The church is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches^[10] and the World Reformed Fellowship^[11]

Other Protestants

Various Protestant churches have established missions in Lithuania since 1990, including the United Methodists,^[12] the Baptist Union,^[13] the Mennonites,^[14] and World Venture.^[15]

Eastern Orthodoxy

Eastern Orthodoxy claims 4.1% of the population, mainly from the Russian minority.^[9] Orthodox Christianity is the first form of Christianity to arrive in Lithuania, with the marriage of Algirdas to Maria of Vitebsk and the martyrdom of Ss. Anthony, John, and Eustathius of Vilnius. The church founded by Maria of Vitebsk, St. Paraskevi Church, is the oldest continuously existing Christian congregation in the country.

Since the 19th century, the

An Armenian Apostolic Church dedicated to St. Vardan was opened in Vilnius in 2006.[17]

Islam

In Lithuania, Islam has a long history unlike in many other northern European countries. The medieval

Judaism

The Lithuanian Jewish community has roots that go back to before the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Lithuania was historically home to a large Jewish community and an important center of Jewish scholarship and culture from the 18th century until the community was almost

There are communities of Jews of Lithuanian descent around the world, especially in Israel, the United States, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Brazil and Australia.

According to the 2001 census, there were 1,272 adherents of Rabbinic and Karaite Judaism.^[22] About 4,000 Jews were counted in Lithuania during the 2005 census.^[23]

Karaites

According to a Karaite tradition, several hundred Crimean Karaites were invited to Lithuania by Grand Duke Vytautas to settle in Trakai ca. 1397. A small community remains in Trakai, which has preserved the Turkic Karaim language and distinctive customs, such as its traditional dish called "kibinai", a sort of meat pastry, and its houses with three windows, one for God, one for the family and one for Grand Duke Vytautas.

Romuva

Medieval Lithuania was the last pagan nation in Europe, officially converting in the late 14th century. The neo-pagan movement Romuva, established in 1967, attempts to reconstruct and revive Lithuanian ethnic religion.^[24]

Freedom of religion

In 2023, the country scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom.^[25]

See also

• Buddhism in Lithuania
• Hinduism in Lithuania
• Islam in Lithuania
•  Lithuania portal
•  Religion portal

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Religion in Lithuania.