St. John Christian Roman Catholic Church in Ciskadi

The first church in Ciskādi was wooden, built in 1751 with the funds of the nobleman Frančis Sokolovskis, in honor of the patronage of the Virgin Maria.
In 1900, the current brick church in Ciskādi was built by the Reverend V. Tomašuns on the site of the old church. During the construction work, services were held in a barn specially built for this occasion. The church was consecrated by Archbishop V. Kļučinskis in 1914 in honor of Saint John Christian. The first church was dedicated to the Virgin Maria, and according to available data, in 1914 the new church was consecrated in the name of Saint John Christian.
The large crucifix carved by the sculptor Stratužitskis in 1795 and the painting of the Virgin Maria in a silver casing have been preserved from the old church. The Ciskādi church is notable for the painting “Madonna with Child”, the crucifix and the organ. The brick building built in the Romanesque style is the pride of the local population.

The Ciskādi parish was served by the Jesuits of Rēzekne, and later by secular priests.

The church owns the Kašu cemetery, which is located 13 km from the church, and is about 600 years old. Old people have said about this cemetery that it used to be located in a flat field, but then a grave hill was formed from human bones. In 1976, a new one was built next to the old cemetery. The church also owns the Kantinieki cemetery chapel. It is a stone chapel in the Kantinieki cemetery, which is in working order. (Svilāns, 1995)