The John Christian Roman Catholic Church in Feimani

Feimaņi Roman Catholic Church was built between 1756 and 1760. In 1760, the bishop consecrated it in honor of John the Baptist. Feimaņi Catholic Church is an architectural monument of national importance. Feimaņi was the property of the Korpfi family, and since the Korpfi converted to Lutheranism during the Reformation, this church was in the possession of the Lutherans until 1708, when it again converted to Catholicism. (Cakuls 1997).
Among all the churches in the Rēzekne region, this wooden church stands out with the largest number of national art objects. There are fifteen of them, including 18th century wood carvings of three altars, a confessional, a churchmen's bench, an organ prospectus, the oldest silver goblets, etc. The original wooden floor has been preserved in the church.
On the left side of the churchyard there is a wooden cross, which according to legend was built on the site of the first wooden church. At the entrance gate there is a bell tower with four bells. During Holy Week, instead of bells, the church uses so-called “klabatas”, which look like an old-fashioned roll of laundry and are unique in size and originality. Their length is about 2m, width 0.7m and height 1m.
About 200m from the church there is a stone chapel, which in its structure and window design very much resembles a bell tower. This suggests that they were built by the same master. Unfortunately, there is no information about when the chapel and bell tower were built. According to folk tales, the chapel once served as a place for the baptism of children. Now there is a warehouse there.
A list of parish deans has been preserved from 1710, which clearly shows that outstanding clergymen served in the Feimaņi church. It also mentions Jezups Macilevičs, who in 1850 published an extensive book “Pawuiceišona un wysaidi sposobi deļ zemnīku latvišu” (“Instructions and various solutions for Latvian peasants”, author’s translation). This book played an important role in the development of the Latgalian language.
Dean and Livonian canon Jāzeps Kirkillo built a poorhouse in Feimaņi, where even persons of noble origin lived. In connection with the Jubilee Year proclaimed by the Pope in 1828, the monument “Myvra Krysts” or “The Bearer of the Cross” was erected by his hand. It was renovated in 1990. The cross is located a considerable distance from the church towards Lake Feimaņi. This stately monument attracts the attention of every passerby, especially if they happen to be walking along this road for the first time. (Svilāns, 1995).