Church of the Exaltation of St. Cross and Belfry

The Church of the Exaltation of St Cross in Budriai of distinctive neo-gothic style was built through the efforts of the Priest Povilas Svilas and the parishioners in 1903; the designer of the Church is unknown. The Church stands on a square stone base, is rectangular with the protruding prodomoi at the front, which, though a little withdrawn, visually broaden the silhouette of the main façade. The presbytery that is narrower than the main volume ends in the pentahedral apse. Two low vestries are attached to its sides. The walls of the wooden framework are usually lined with horizontal planks, however, the décor of the gables of the main façade and the side predomos imitating fachverk and lateral angles and lisenas dividing interfenestrations of the side facades render decorativeness to the Church. The roofs of the main volume and the prodomai are gable roofs, a square turret ending in a spire with small triangular frontons shoving into the roof raises in their intersection. Earlier the turret was openwork. The imitation of fachverk, the turret and broad garrets render the features of architecture of villas of the period, whereas the windows of the building are typically neo-gothic – in the form of tapering rectangles with tapering arches and imitations of bar traceries. The doors of the rectangular openings are bound with small flat triangular frontons. Neo-gothic style of the Church is seen in the interior too where natural wood, altars made according to the master’s design and a carefully decorated wooden pulpit prevail.

The brick wall surrounding the churchyard has expressive, also neo-gothic gate with three entrance openings in the form of tapering arches. Above the central arch there is a turret with an iron cross. The openwork gothic element – the four-leaved – is inserted in the centre of the triangular gable (vimperg).
Quadrangular turrets with plastered niches and spires enrich the decorativeness of the gate. An almost quadrangular two-tier belfry of the same style is built on the right side of the wall. The lowest tier is lined with wooden planks vertically, the top one is lined horizontally. The silhouette of the belfry is accentuated by the side lisenas, cornices separating the stages and decoratively planked shutters of acoustic openings. The two-leaved door of the belfry is bound with ornamental iron hinges, above them there are diamond bay windows. The roof is in the form of a quadrangular pyramid, like the turret with small triangular frontons shoving into the roof. Apart from the professionally built decorative belfry, the churchyard (on the right side of the Church) is adorned with a small wooden chapel with a rather tall turret.

Detail