Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Vladislav, Vilnius, Lithuania

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Vladislav (Vilnius, Lithuania) is not only the main tourist attraction of the city, but also the main Roman Catholic church of the whole country. It is located at the foot of the Castle Hill, on top of which stands the tower of Gediminas. It is simply impossible to visit the capital of Lithuania and not see the cathedral, even if visiting it is not included in your plans. All the roads of the old part of the city lead to the cathedral square. Why is the cathedral so famous, to whom is it dedicated? What should you definitely see when you enter these majestic vaults? We will talk about this in our article.

Basilica status: what does it mean?

First, let's clarify the question why the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Vladislav is so important for believersVilnius and all Lithuania. Since 1922, the temple was given the status of a basilica. This word comes from the Greek "basileus" - emperor, king. The title of basilica is awarded to temples by the Pope himself to emphasize the peculiarity of the church. And the word "cathedral" means that the church is the main one in the city.

What is so special about the Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Vladislav that it has been given such high ranks? First, it is the oldest in the country. Secondly, it hosted the coronations of the monarchs of Great Lithuania. Thirdly, in the crypt of the temple are the burial places of prominent princes, bishops and nobles. And fourthly, all the most important church services and state celebrations are still performed here. Therefore, it would be unfair to yourself not to visit the Vilnius Cathedral.

Construction history

Once there was a pagan temple on this place. In honor of the god of lightning, Perkunas, a fire burned on the altar day and night. This stone was found relatively recently by archaeologists in the dungeons of the temple, at the present time it is on display. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, the Lithuanian prince Mindaugas (reigned from 1223) wanted to enlist the military support of the Livonians from the most powerful knightly order in Europe at that time, so he converted to Christianity. On the site of the pagan temple of Perun, he built a church (presumably in the 50s of the 13th century). But later the prince again returned to his former religion. The church was destroyed, and in its place a temple was erected for Perkunas the Thunderer.

Finally, inIn 1387, Christianity was finally planted in the country. From the then capital of Poland, Krakow, King Jagiello arrived in Vilnius, who at that time was also the Grand Duke of Lithuania, he was personally present at the destruction of the pagan temple. In its place, the king himself laid the first stone of the Catholic church. So the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus was built. It was built in the Gothic style with powerful walls and buttresses. This cathedral stood until 1419.

Temple metamorphoses

From the Gothic in the modern temple, only fragments remained. The cathedral burned repeatedly (in 1399 and 1419, as well as several times during the sixteenth century). Since the temple is located on a peninsula jutting into the Neris River (the second name of Viliya), it often became a victim of floods. But the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus was constantly rebuilt by the townspeople and became even larger and more beautiful. The Great Duke of Lithuania Vitovt and his wife Anna Svyatoslavovna donated especially a lot of money for the arrangement of the temple.

The cathedral was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. For this, King Sigismund-August ordered master architects from Italy - Bernardo Zanobbi da Gianotti, and later Giovanni Cini of Siena. But their great accomplishments in stone have not reached our time. The fire of 1610 destroyed the work of the Renaissance masters. The restoration of the cathedral was undertaken by the architect Wilhelm Pohl. His achievements were destroyed by Russian troops, who in 1655 captured the city and plundered the Baroque church to the ground. The Swedish army completed the destruction.

How the building got its modern look

In 1769, an unprecedented storm swept over Vilnius. From the monstrous wind, the southern tower of the temple collapsed, burying six people of the clergy under the rubble. This catastrophe prompted the townspeople to think that it was necessary to radically rebuild the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus.

The work on the construction of a new building on the ruins of the old one was led by the famous Lithuanian architect Lourynas Gucevicius. He conceived an ambitious project - to combine buildings of different styles in a single architectural ensemble: the main nave (Gothic), the chapel of St. Casimir (Baroque), and other chapels (Renaissance). And at the same time, the architect wanted the temple to meet the spirit of his contemporary era. And at that time, classicism dominated. As conceived by the architect, the cathedral was supposed to resemble an ancient Greek temple. Gucevicius did not have to see his offspring. But after his death, the work was continued by other architects, according to his plan.

Soviet era

In 1922, Pope Benedict II granted Vilnius Cathedral the status of a basilica. Even during World War II, divine services were held in the temple. But the authorities of the USSR after the annexation of Lithuania considered the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus to be anti-Soviet. The temple was closed and turned into a warehouse. In 1950, the statues of saints were removed from the roof of the cathedral and destroyed. The organ fell into a deplorable state. By the petitions of the citizens inIn 1956, an art gallery of Vilnius was arranged in the building of the former cathedral. The organ was restored and since 1963 concerts have been held in the church on Sundays.

Since 1980, large-scale work began to save unique frescoes. They went on for ten years. In 1989, the temple was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church. Property issues were settled with her. So the museum remained within the walls of the temple. Now it is located in the crypt (basement) of the cathedral.

Exterior and interior design

The facade of the building is a prime example of the classical style. It is decorated with columns, and on the roof there are statues of Saints Stanislav, Casimir and Helena recreated from photographs. In the niches you can see sculptures of the four evangelists.

St. Stanislaus Cathedral (Vilnius) is as beautiful inside as it is outside. About fifty frescoes and paintings from the 16th-19th centuries adorn its walls. What you should pay special attention to is the chapel of St. Casimir. It was built at the beginning of the seventeenth century by order of King Sigismund III Vasa.

The Italian architect K. Tensallo was involved in the construction, and Swedish sandstone and multi-colored marble from the Apennines and the Carpathians were used as building materials. In the crypt of the cathedral there is a tomb in which many monarchs rest, including two queens, the former wives of Sigismund Augustus. This is Elizabeth of Habsburg and the most beautiful woman of her time, Barbora Radziwill. Alsowithin the walls of the temple rests the heart of King Vasa.

Cathedral of St. Stanislaus (Vilnius): address and other useful information

Finding this temple is easy. It is located in the very heart of the city, on Cathedral Square, 1. It is also easy to recognize it by the ancient bell tower towering nearby. The church is open daily from 7 am to 7 pm. You can see its interiors during the same period, if masses are not held. The hours of worship depend on the days of the week and religious holidays.

The Cathedral of St. Stanislaus (Lithuania) is especially honored by Poles who come here to bow to the ashes of great kings. The entrance to the crypt is paid (about 4 euros). In addition to the tomb, there is a museum of the history of the temple in the dungeon. There you can see fragments of masonry from early cathedrals and pagan altars.