Antanas Juozapavičius was the first officer of the Lithuanian Independence War to die in battle. in 1919 February 13 he was shot in Alytus, on the city bridge over the Nemunas. The grave of A. Juozapavičius is St. in the churchyard of the Guardian Angels Church. The officer was buried here not immediately. At that time, one part of Alytus (on the left side of the Nemunas) belonged to the Bolsheviks, and the other (on the right bank of the Nemunas) was already ours. The Lithuanian volunteers had to move the body to our side as quickly as possible so that the enemies would not be the first to do so. Some sources indicate that A. Juozapavičius was temporarily buried in St. In the yard of the Ludvik Church, others - that at first in the gardens of the Curve Street, then in the yard. After recapturing all of Alytus, A. Juozapavičius was reburied in St. in the churchyard of the Guardian Angels Church. In 1922 August 20 a monument was solemnly unveiled, stating that the officer was killed on February 14. The President of Lithuania Aleksandras Stulginskis, the Minister of National Defense, the commander of the army, and several high-ranking officials and officers came to the monument unveiling ceremony, and a considerable crowd of the local public gathered. This event was also widely covered by the press at that time. The daily "Lietuva" wrote: "After the service, which was held by the chaplain of the crew, the monument was consecrated and at noon The President of the State A. Stulginskis opened the monument. Aircraft were flying high during the opening." The monument is described as follows: "It has a stone base (pedestal) on which a cross made of artillery shells is placed; a machine gun shield built into the pedestal from the front, bearing the signature below. The image of Juozapavičius and the cross of Vyties. The monument is surrounded by a chain. The monument was designed by the officers of the 1st Regiment. The monument makes an impression on everyone, it is the most beautiful, the real better, more beautiful in these still difficult circumstances of the regiment's life, a monument could not have been possible. Honour and thanks of the whole society to the soldiers of the 1st Gediminas Regiment for their implementation of such a beautiful and noble idea!".
The grave of A. Juozapavičius is included in the Register of Immovable Cultural Values.
Savanorių St., Alytus
GPS: 54.398993, 24.050517 (WGS)
The author of the photos is B. Malaškevičiūtė
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