Varniai

History

Town established in the 14th century, on the bank of the Varnelė River, near an important Samogitian castle. It was the center of the Samogitian Catholic church: after the baptism of Samogitia, the Samogitian Bishop resided in the town. In 1320, it was the site of the Battle of Medininkai, in which the Samogitians defeated the invading Teutonic Knights. Afterwards, it was invaded by the Teutonic Knights in 1329, and by the Livonian Order in 1377. During the Swedish invasion, the town was plundered by the Swedes in 1655 and 1656. With support of Merkelis Giedraitis, Mikalojus Daukša translated and made ready for publication Katechizmas, the first Lithuanian language book printed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Varniai also was the residence of Samogitian bishop Motiejus Valančius.