Like most churches in the country, this house of worship is a condensed history lesson. The Gothic structure was built by Franciscan monks at the beginning of the 15th century with the tower added a little later. Invaders took advantage of its central location, first by the Napoleonic army who stored ammunition in it before setting fire to it during their frantic flee during the winter of 1812, and then by the Russians who used it as an Orthodox church between 1845 and 1853. The church, whose interior features a beguiling mix of Gothic arches and even an electronic organ, was returned to the Catholic Church in 1990. The famous Lithuanian political activist and writer Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas (1869-1933) is buried here. Note the water level gauge by the side entrance, which records a Nemunas water level of 2.9m on March 24, 1946.