While in Lithuania, I visited the graves of my grandmother’s sister Ona Chmielewska, Ona’s husband Jonas Samsanavicius, Ona and Jonas’ daughter Elena Samsanaviciute, and Elena’s husband Jonas Sarakauskas.
The cemetery is located in Alytus, Alytaus County, Lithuania. All were buried from St. Ludwig’s Roman Catholic Church (Å v. Liudviko bažnyÄia) built in 1818.
It was appropriate that I visited the grave with my cousins Liliana and Vitaus at this time of the year. In both Lithuania and Poland, great care is taken in the days before All Saints’ Day on November 1st to tidy the graves in preparation for the Day of the Dead. Jasia of Creative Gene wrote about this holiday last year and this year.
St. Ludwig’s Church in Alytus, Lithuania
SOURCE: St. Ludwig’s Church in Alytus, Lithuania. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 24 October 2007.
Grave of Jonas Samsanavicius and Ona Chmielewska
SOURCE: Grave of Jonas Samsanavicius and Ona Chmielewska. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 24 October 2007.
Grave of Jonas Sarakauskas and Elena Samsanavicius
SOURCE: Grave of Jonas Sarakauskas and Elena Samsanavicius. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 24 October 2007.
Overall View of Cemetery in Alytus, Lithuania
SOURCE: Overall View of Cemetery in Alytus, Lithuania. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 24 October 2007.
Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko
Thanks for the mention Steve. I must admit I was wondering if you visited a cemetery during your trip to Lithuania. This is a very special time for tending to the graves of loved ones. Your photos are beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
And with that, I’m out the door to visit the graves of my loved ones.
Hi – my grandfather on my mother’s side was Edward Chmielewski. He was from the Vilnius area and was born roughly 1890. He was ofPolish descent. Do you have any record of him? He married Anna Lawinska (my grandmother). Any ideas? Thanks!