Lauksodžiai St. Aloysius Church

17th century In the middle of the 19th century, the duke of the Duchy of Courland, Jakub Kettler, decided to invite the Jesuits he could send to the Curonian Gambia to his colony. It is unusual for a Lutheran to ask for the help of Catholic missionaries, but the Protestants did not carry out missionary activities at that time, and Jacob Kettler wanted to at least introduce the indigenous people to Christianity. The Jesuits from Austria responded to the Duke's request. Father Ernestas Šturmas (1633-1710) arrived in Mintauja, the capital of the Curonian Duchy, accompanied by another Jesuit. However, they never managed to sail to the colony in Gambia. Those who remained in Mintauja engaged in pastoral activities here. To strengthen the mission, Father Ernest Sturmas went to Austria several times to collect donations, and the Dutch merchant Pranciskus van Dolre left his entire inheritance to the Jesuits of Mintauja. That's how they were at the Curonian border in 1695. bought the Lauksodi estate. It is assumed that, as soon as they bought this manor, they built a chapel there, which could have been destroyed during the Northern War. Jesuit Lauksodi