Viļānu Church garden shows flowers paintings
September 8 - The Catholic Church is celebrated as a big festival – the birthday of the most blessed Virgin. On the day of celebration, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Archangel Michael in Viļani creates flower paintings every year. Large-format flower carpets and flower arrangements can be viewed in the church garden.
As told by catholic priest Rinald Stankēvičs, the flower paintings in Viļānu church are formed every autumn, for over ten years. It is the joint work of the members of the parish, involving both the local population and those who are already living elsewhere. All flowers used for flower carpets are in the gardens themselves and are presented as a gift to God Mother' s birthday. Four flower carpets are traditionally formed. In front of the church, a flower of 3 x 3 metres was built by Lord Gloriete, dedicated to the Holy family. The three-flower carpets are located in the garden of the Abbey in the rose garden of Little Saint Teresa, where there is a swelling and the largest wind, so that the petals with wind flow are not blown away. All flowers are used in the festive design, every petal given to God by the faithful. Flowers are distributed not only in colour but also in colour shades and are placed in paintings. On the other hand, compositions are formed from flowers not included in the flower carpets.
The flower painting starts in spring, before the sowing season – the subject to be applied to the flowers. Each year the flower carpets vary. This year, the flower carpets have two themes. The first is dedicated to the holy family, because this church has a family year and the Holy Family is taken as a sample. The second is devoted to Ukraine: “The peace of the Christ is coming over Latvia and over Ukraine”. It is planned that the flower carpets will be available for one week - until 15 September, for the festival of the Our Lady, and if the weather conditions are favourable, perhaps a little longer. All this week is the day of the church holidays: September 11 is the day of the Lady of Lurda, when there is a request for hospitals, on September 12, the Lady of God has a Name day, on 13 September, the day of the Lady of Fatima, on 14 September, the day of the St. Cross promotion, and the week ends on 15 September with a painful celebration of God.
This Sunday, together with his family, can be accompanied by Father's day in the garden of a white church, which is located in a large area of 2.4 ha along with monastery gardens. In the garden, many places are reserved for both individual and shared prayer. The area is large enough and cleaned so that people can spend time in their thoughts. The church's cleaning and garden works have been carried out over many years, but all works have not yet been completed. It is intended to continue the construction of the sacred garden. It is also intended to replace windows and make church vitrets.
The priest expresses great thanks to his active congregation and its active participants, pilgrims and other chariors who have been in love with that place and take care of this place over the years from the beginning of the church in 1753. In ancient times Viļānus had called the white Viļāniem, so priest Rinald's dream is that Viļāni will be a white town - there are a white church, a white monastery, a white pharmacy, a white council building and white flowers, to enter the town everything is white and that white Viļāni is a Viļānu brand!
Prepared by: Jolanta Smane, Viļānu association Dekšāres parish resident
Liana Runča
