Rukainiai
Rukainiai is a village in Vilnius District Municipality, Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, it had population of 770, a decrease from 865 in 1989.History
Rukainiai is known from 1440 when Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis donated the village to the Archdiocese of Vilnius. Bishop Paweł Holszański, a member of the Lithuanian princely Olshanski family, sponsored construction of a wooden church in 1538. In the 18th century, there was a parochial school in Rukainiai. The church was destroyed during the French invasion of Russia in 1812. It was replaced by a Romantic style stone church built in 1823. Paweł Ksawery Brzostowski, famous as the founder of the Republic of Paulava, served as a priest in the newly built church.
Rukainiai is famous for its Christmas and Užgavėnės traditions.
