Rainiai Chapel of Suffering Memorial site

The Rainiai Chapel of Suffering is located in the village of Rainiai, at a distance of five kilometres from Telšiai, off road No. 160 Telšiai-Varniai-Laukuva.
On 25 and 26 June 1941, one of the most horrific massacres in the history of the Soviet occupation of Lithuania took place in Rainiai Forest. At night, the Red Army and the Soviet repressive authorities brutally tortured 75 political prisoners to death in Telšiai Prison. A few days later, a passer-by found the victims buried in a mass grave.
In 1943, a chapel was built in memory of the victims, which was built according to the sketch of the architect Jonas Virakas. In 1944, with the return of Soviet rule, the chapel was destroyed. Later, in 1990, after Lithuania regained its independence, the architect A. Žebrauskas started to build a new chapel based on the sketches by the same author. The chapel was consecrated on 23 June 1991 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Rainiai massacre.
The Rainiai Chapel of Suffering is dedicated not only to the martyrs of the Rainiai but also to the memory of all the victims of Soviet terror. A stone cross carved by sculptor R. Midvikas is erected in the forest near the chapel, where political prisoners were tortured. Three more wooden crosses painted in the colours of the national flag can be seen on the road.