Medininkai is a village in Lithuania near the border with Belarus on the road from Vilnius to Minsk. It is a place with a long history with strong ties to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and then to the reborn Poland. To this day, the inhabitants of the village still speak Polish on a daily basis (even the young), shops have Polish signs, and masses in the church are celebrated in Polish.

The first church was founded in 1387 by Grand Duke Władysław Jagiełło after he was baptised. A second church was built in the 15th century, while after a fire (1778) another temple (dedicated to St Trinity) was built 10 years later, which was liquidated in 1832 and the building was demolished two years later. (after Wikipedia)

The current church building was constructed after Poland regained its independence in 1928 (although temporary chapels may have existed earlier). On the church one can find a commemorative plaque showing the most important dates of the history of the present building (original spelling): "THE CHURCH OF ST. KAZIMIERZA IN MIEDNIKY KRÓLEWSKICH WAS CONSTRUCTED WITH THE PEOPLE BY KS. ANTONI RUTKOWSKI IN 1928-1933 AND RESTORED THE CHURCH ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY IN 1983. KS. LORD KAMESCH, A FRANCISCAN FRIAR, ON THE OCCASION OF: THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. KAZIMIERZ 1484 AND: 600TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BAPTISM OF LITHUANIA 1387"

Counting the first church, the present parish thus continues the more than 600-year history of Catholicism in the lands of present-day Lithuania. It is still ministered by Franciscans today. The parish is one of the important centres of Polish community life in the area.
In addition to the parish, the best-known attractions in the area are the ruins of a castle, which was one of the royal residences during the rule of the Jagiellonians, and the highest hill in Lithuania (Aukštojas).

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