The local history book collection of the Anykščiai L. and S. Didžiuliai Public Library was supplemented by the book "Taujėnai St. Cross Exaltation Roman Catholic Church" published in 2026 by Saulius Nefas, former mayor of Anykščiai district, history teacher and professor at Mykolas Romeris University. This publication is important to the library not only for its local history and historical value - its author is a long-time Anykščiai resident and library reader, and Anykščiai librarians also contributed to the search for material when preparing the book.

S. Nefas donated the book to the library with a sincere wish for the readers of Anykščiai: "Each of us builds our own house, but only together can we build the Church of Christ the King." These words symbolically reflect the idea of the book itself - history, faith, and cultural heritage remain alive when they are preserved and passed on by people.

In Anykščiai – since 1983

Saulius Nefas has been associated with Anykščiai since 1983. This is where his path as a teacher, public figure, and later politician began. He worked as a history teacher at Anykščiai Antanas Vienuolis and Viešinų secondary schools, later headed Anykščiai Antanas Vienuolis secondary school, and since 2000 – Anykščiai Antanas Vienuolis gymnasium.

In 1985, S. Nefas established the first Lithuanian history classroom in Lithuanian schools at Anykščiai Antanas Vienuolis Secondary School. His interest in history, the past of the country, citizenship, and community remained important in his professional path later on.

The name Saulius Nefs is well known to the residents of Anykštės, also because of his work in the municipality.

Two terms as mayor of Anykščiai district

In 1995–1997 and 1997–2000, S. Nefas was a member of the Anykščiai District Council and headed the district municipality for two consecutive terms. While leading the district, he paid much attention to the transformation of the local government structure, community activity, and the development of citizenship and patriotism. The district council under his leadership implemented important infrastructure projects – the gasification of Anykščiai city, the construction of drinking water treatment facilities, and the transformation and modernization of the heating system. The period of S. Nefas’ leadership was also important for the Anykščiai Library. It was at that time, on his initiative and with the assistance of the municipality, that the library was moved from small premises on Paupio Street to more spacious two-story premises on Biliūno Street. His attention to the library’s activities and the working conditions of its employees remained in the memory of the library staff. S. Nefas was a regular visitor to library events and a participant in community life.

So his book, which has reached the library today, also has a personal, long-standing connection with the institution whose activities he himself once supported and was interested in.

From history teacher to university professor

After working in the municipality, S. Nef's professional path continued to be related to public administration, education, and community research.

In 1997–2000, he studied for a doctorate in sociology, and his research topic was the development of community in Lithuania. In 2003, S. Nefas became an independent expert for the Ministry of Education and Science in the evaluation of history textbooks and curricula, and later worked as an expert in the accreditation of secondary education curricula.

In 2004, he began working at the then Lithuanian University of Law, which later became Mykolas Romeris University. At first he was a lecturer, then an associate professor, and since 2015, a professor at the Institute of Public Administration, Faculty of Public Management and Business.

History, education, self-government, and community have accompanied S. Nefs' professional path at different stages. These themes are also reflected in the new book.

Library reader – and book author

S. Nefas still maintains contact with the Anykščiai L. and S. Didžiuliai Public Library today. He is a reader of the library, mostly using its services remotely.

This connection also became important when preparing a book about the Taujėnai Church. When collecting material for the publication, the author also turned to the Anykščiai Library. The librarians helped to search for the necessary local history information, sources and other data important for the publication. Thus, the employees of the Anykščiai Library also contributed to the creation of the book, albeit in a small but significant way. This is a beautiful example of cooperation between the library and its reader: the library not only stores accumulated cultural and historical information, but also helps those who turn it into new publications, research and stories to discover it. In this sense, S. Nef's book is not just a new publication in the library's collections. It testifies to the long-term connection between the author and the Anykščiai Library - from his work in the municipality and his interest in the library's activities to today, when he himself is a library reader and researcher.

Taujėnai Church – not just a building

At the beginning of the book, the reader is greeted by a foreword by the Archbishop of Kaunas, Metropolitan Kęstutis Kėvalas. He emphasizes that this book is a living testimony of faith, prayer, and the history of the community, revealing the history of the Holy Cross Exaltation Church in Taujėnai.

The publication tells not only about the architecture of the church. The reader is invited to look into the life of the Taujėnai parish, its people, their fates and historical experiences.

The history of the Taujėnai parish dates back to the 17th century. In 1669, an altar was already mentioned here. Later, a wooden church stood in Taujėnai, but it burned down in 1845. The current brick Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was built in 1859. It is a single-nave, rectangular-plan sanctuary in the classicist style. The book tells the story of where the people of Taujėnai prayed before the construction of the current church, how the life of the parish changed and what traces different historical periods left on it.

Behind the church walls – people's stories

One of the most interesting parts of the publication is the stories about people. The author focuses on priests, sacristans, parishioners, artists, and other people associated with the Taujėnai Church.

The complex pages of 20th century history also open up. The book examines the period of resistance to occupation, tells about the assassination attempt on the church sacristan Adolfas Karalias in 1947, as well as the fates of other people from the Taujėnai region. Such stories allow us to look at the church not only as an object of cultural heritage, but also as a place where personal destinies of people and great events of Lithuanian history intertwine.

Surviving cultural heritage

The book also pays considerable attention to the artistic heritage of the Taujėnai Church. The sanctuary has preserved 19th-century wooden sculptures, including images of St. Casimir and St. Stanislaus, as well as four sculptures of the Crucified Jesus.

The church also houses the stained glass window "The Discovery of the Cross" from the second half of the 19th century, and the marble altar installed in 1900 is one of the exceptional highlights of the sanctuary's interior.

A book that also has a connection to Anykščiai

Although S. Neff's book is specifically dedicated to the Taujėnai Church, its themes are much broader. It tells the story of the survival of history in specific places, buildings, and people's memories.

For the people of Anykštė, the publication is interesting not only because of the cultural heritage it describes. The author himself is also important – a man whose professional and social life has been connected with Anykštė for more than four decades. Here he began his work as a history teacher, headed schools, was the mayor of the district, took care of local government and community affairs, and later transferred his experience to academic activities.

Today, the author of the book also maintains a connection with Anykščiai as a library reader. And the fact that the librarians of Anykščiai helped in the search for material when preparing a book about the Taujėnai Church reminds us once again that the significance of a library is not limited to bookshelves. The library becomes a place where history, researcher, reader and librarian meet, and the accumulated information can turn into a new testimony of cultural heritage.

S. Nefos's "Taujėnai Holy Cross Exaltation Roman Catholic Church" will supplement the local history document collection of the Anykščiai Public Library. It is expected that the publication will interest readers interested in the history of Lithuanian churches, cultural heritage, local history, the development of communities and the stories of people's lives.

For the library community, this book is also a beautiful reminder of the long-standing connection with its author, who, from being a history teacher, school principal, and district mayor of Anykščiai, is now returning to the library as a professor, researcher, and book author.

Audrone Berezauskiene
Head of the Regional Documents and Local History Department of the Latvian Academy of Sciences