St. Stanislaus and St. Władysław Cathedral, Vilnius, Lithuania

The Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Wladyslaw (Vilnius, Lithuania) is not only the main tourist attraction of the city, but also the main Roman Catholic temple of the whole country. It is located at the foot of the Castle Hill, on top of which stands Gedimin's Tower. To visit the capital of Lithuania and not to see the cathedral is simply impossible, even if its visit is not included in your plans. All the roads of the old part of the city lead to the cathedral square. What is so famous about the cathedral, to whom is it dedicated? What should you certainly see when you enter these magnificent arches? We will discuss this in our article.

The status of the basilica: what does this mean?

First let us clarify the question of why the cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Wladyslaw has such significance for the believers of Vilnius and all Lithuania. Since 1922, the temple was given the status of a basilica. The word is derived from the Greek "basileus" -the emperor, the king. The title of the basilica to the temples is awarded 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 he was given such high titles? First, he is the oldest in the country. Secondly, it was the coronation of the monarchs of Great Lithuania. Thirdly, in the crypt of the temple there are burials of outstanding princes, bishops and nobles. And fourthly, all the most important church services and state celebrations are still being performed here. Therefore, not to visit the Vilnius Cathedral would be unfair to oneself.

History of construction

Once upon a time this place was a pagan temple. In honor of the god of lightning Perkūnas, the fire on the altar burned day and night. This stone was recently discovered by archaeologists in the dungeons of the temple, at this time it is exhibited. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, the Lithuanian prince Mindaugas (reigned from 1223) wanted to enlist the military support of 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 fifties of the 13th century). But later the prince returned to his former religion. The church was destroyed, and in its place the temple of Perkunas the Thunderer was erected.

Finally, in 1387, Christianity was finally planted in the country. From the then capital of Poland, Krakow arrived in Vilnius, King Jagiello, who was at that time the Grand Duke of Lithuania, he personally was present at the destruction of the pagan temple. In his 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.

Metamorphoses of the Temple

From the Gothic in the modern church there were only fragments. The cathedral burned repeatedly (in 1399 and 1419, and also several times during the sixteenth century). Since the temple is located on a peninsula that goes into the river Nyaris (the second name is Viliya), it often became a victim of floods. But St. Stanislaus Cathedral was constantly rebuilt by the citizens and became even bigger and more beautiful. The Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas and his wife Anna Svyatoslavovna donated a lot of money for the arrangement of the church.

The cathedral was rebuilt in a Renaissance style. To this end, from Italy King Sigismund August ordered the master architects - Bernardo Zanobbi da Giagnotti, and later Giovanni Chini Sienna. But their great achievements in stone have not reached our time. The fire of 1610 destroyed the work of the masters of the Renaissance. The restoration of the cathedral took up the architect Wilhelm Paul. His achievements were destroyed by Russian troops, who in 1655 captured the city and plundered the baroque temple to the ground. The Swedish army was destroyed.

How the building acquired a 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 wreckage. This catastrophe pushed the townspeople to the idea that the cathedral of St. Stanislaus should be radically reconstructed.

The work on the construction of a new building on the ruins of the old was led by the well-known Lithuanian architect Laurinas Gucevičius. He conceived an ambitious project - to unite in a single architectural ensemble different in style of structure: the main nave (gothic), the chapel of St. Casimir (baroque), and the other chapels (renaissance). And at the same time, the architect wanted the temple to respond to the spirit of his modern era. And at that time classicism dominated. According to the architect's idea, the cathedral was supposed to resemble an ancient Greek temple. Gucevičius did not have to see his child. But after his death, the work continued with other architects, according to his plan.

The Soviet era

In 1922, Pope Benedict II granted the status of the Basilica to the Vilnius Cathedral. Even during the Second World War, worship services were held in the church. 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 was in a deplorable state. In 1956, in the building of the former cathedral, the picturesque gallery of Vilnius was arranged by the citizens. The organ was restored and since 1963 on Sundays in the temple concerts began to be held.

Since 1980, large-scale works have begun to save unique frescoes. They lasted for ten years. In 1989, the temple was transferred to the Roman Catholic Church. Her property issues were resolved with her. So the museum remained in the walls of the temple. Now it is located in the crypt (basement) of the cathedral.

Appearance and interior decoration

The facade of the building is a vivid example of a classic style. It is decorated with columns, and on the roof are recreated from the photographs of the statues of saints Stanislaus, Casimir and Helen. In the niches you can see the sculptural images of the four evangelists.

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

The Italian architect K. Tensallo was involved in the construction, and Swedish sandstone and a multicolored marble from the Apennines and the Carpathians were used as a building material. In the crypt of the cathedral there is a burial vault in which many monarchs, including two queens, the former wives of Sigismund Augustus, rest. This is Elizabeth of Habsburg and the most beautiful woman of her time, Barbara Radziwill. Also in the walls of the temple rests the heart of the King of the Vase.

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

Finding this temple is simple. It is located in the heart of the city, on the Cathedral Square, 1. To find it as easily along the ancient bell tower rising next to it. The church is open daily from 7 am to 7 pm. You can see its interiors in the same period, if there are no mass. The hours of worship depend on the days of the week and religious holidays.

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