The St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church of Vilani

In 1753, Baron Miķelis Riks began building the current Viļāni stone church and monastery ensemble. The church originally had 9 altars, and it was one of the most beautiful and luxurious churches in Latgale. A copy of the foundation document of the Viļāni church and monastery, drawn up and signed by the lord Miķelis Riks on November 18, 1777, has survived to this day.

The church was completed in 1772. The Catholic church built in the 18th century and the monastery complex, which has partially survived to this day, are one of the few architectural monuments of this type in Latvia and Northern Europe.

The central altar of the church is decorated with eight Corinthian columns, above which the inscription in the architrave reads: Quis ut Deus (Latin - "Who is like God"). In the left area is the altar of the Heart of Jesus, in the right - the altar of the Passion of Jesus Christ, in which is placed a wooden crucifix made in the 18th century, to which the miracle-worker's powers are attributed. The many votive offerings testify to medically inexplicable healings and miracles. Viļāni Church and its surroundings have become a significant pilgrimage site today. In addition to the renovated church, it is possible to see the Candle Chapel, the Chapel of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Rose Garden, a chapel dedicated to souls in purgatory, the church basements with a chapel dedicated to unborn children, the Stations of the Cross, as well as the Chapel of the Cross, the grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima with sculptures of the Fatima shepherds, the Rosary Garden with a sculpture of St. Bishop Meinard - the first missionary of Latvia, and the sculpture of St. Archangel Michael, the patron saint of the parish. To see all of the above-listed objects, you must register with a church guide in advance.

In 1832, the Russian government banned the operation of Catholic monasteries, and the church was closed. The monastery resumed its activities only in 1924. During World War II, the church towers were destroyed and the monastery was blown up, but after the war the church and the monastery building were restored. In 2011, the Rosary Garden was opened near the monastery with a sculpture of Latvia's first missionary, Saint Maynard, and a sculpture of the patron saint of the church, Archangel Michael.[5] A rose garden has been established in the church garden. The church has been renovated both inside and out. A grotto for unborn children, the resting place of Michael Rick, the Rose Garden of Teresa, a Rosary Garden, and a chapel for the dead have been built in the Candle Chapel. It is planned to build a Stations of the Cross. 

In August 2018, the Latvian Province of the Marian Congregation of Priests of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary completed the project “Renovation of the Pilgrims’ House”, which received co-financing from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for its implementation. The Pilgrims’ House, located at Kultūras laukums 7, Viļāni, was renovated on the site of a building already belonging to the church, with the aim of increasing the accommodation capacity and improving the visual appearance of the territory, creating a tidy external environment. The building is located a few meters away from the Viļāni St. Archangel Michael Roman Catholic Church and the Viļāni St. Albert Monastery, where all events requiring accommodation for participants mainly take place.

Church services:

ON WEEKDAYS

7.00 - The rosary

7.30 - Holy Mass

15.00 - Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the rosary

16.00 - Holy Mass

SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS

8.30 - The rosary

9.00 - Holy Mass

11.30 - The rosary

12.00 - Holy Mass