Viļāni monastery of St. Albert

Address: Kultūras laukums 6a, Viļāni, Viļānu novads
T: +371 64662413
E-mail: Rstankevics@inbox.lv, mariani@mariani.lv
Home page: www.mariani.lv
Short description: Viļāni monastery of St. Albert. Following the invitation of Michael Riks in 1753, Bernardin monks arrived in Viļāni. They served to the congregation, managed congregation school. In the library of the monastery there were 463 books of spiritual content in Latin, Polish and Latvian languages. When czar of Russia issued an order about the closure of all monasteries in 1832, Bernardians were banished from Viļāni. The archbishop of Mogiļeva took a possession of congregation’s properties, and priests of a diocese were serving to the congregation. In 1924, monks of Marians arrived in Viļāni – Benedikts Skrinda CCM (Congregation Clericorum Marianorum) and Bronislavs Valpitrs CCM. Before the war 42 fathers and brothers of Marians were living in the monastery and serving to the congregation. The World War II had broken the operation of the monastery. In 1944, German troops recoiling from Viļāni detonated significant part of the monastery. In their turn communists banished monks and alienated building of the monastery. There they created boarding-school, rooms for learning science about tractors, flats for teachers and even shooting-gallery. In 1989, the monastery with its buildings was given back to Marians. At present the monastery of Marians has been renovated. It is the biggest monastery for men in Latvia. In order to visit garden and chapels of the monastery, please, apply before.