A church bell that has been buried underground for about a century has been unearthed in the Kupiškis region.

„We knew that it was hidden, but the legend was never explored further. Now it was a real surprise to find a woman who knew the exact location and a person who searched and found it," Kupiškis District Mayor Algirdas Raslanas said on Friday.

The Vietė community announced the discovery of the bell on Thursday on the „Facebook“ account „Kupiškis Region Heritage“.

It was discovered by local farmer Laurynas Družas in his field.

The bell belonged to the church of St. Hyacinth (Jack) in Antašava.

Rimantas Gudelis, its parish priest, told BNS on Friday that the bell was cast in 1908, when it was put in the bell tower. When the war broke out, local people unhooked it and hid it underground to prevent it from being cast, and the metal was used to make weapons.

„There are many legends about exactly when it was hidden – some say during the First World War, others say during the Second World War, during Stalin's reign“, – said the clergyman.

According to him, the exact place where the bell was buried has been lost over time.

A. Gudelis said he had not yet examined the bell himself, but church officials and heritage conservationists, who had seen the bell, said it was intact.

„If it is handed over to the church, which it should be, it should be handed over to our parish, we will put it where it was – in the bell tower–, – said the pastor.

Now the church has two smaller bells.