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Church of St. Casimir, Vilnius

1618 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in LithuaniaBaroque architecture in LithuaniaChurch buildings with domesRoman Catholic churches completed in 1618
Roman Catholic churches in Vilnius
Church of St. Casimir in Vilnius (Wilno)
Church of St. Casimir in Vilnius (Wilno)

The Church of St. Casimir (Lithuanian: Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčia, Polish: Kościół Św. Kazimierza) is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius' Old Town, close to the Vilnius' Town Hall. It is the first and the oldest baroque church in Vilnius, built in 1618. The construction of the church began in 1604 in memory of the holy prince Saint Casimir. It was built by the Jesuits with funding by the Great Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Lew Sapieha, Voivode of Vilnius Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł, and other nobles. It is traditionally assumed that the corner stone (which can be seen on the façade wall) was pulled into the city by procession of 700 Vilniusites from the Antakalnis hills. The construction was finished in 1616, and the interior design completed in 1618. The Church of St. Casimir is one of the earliest exemplary Baroque buildings in the city. Its spatial composition and facade were designed along the line of the famous Il Gesù church in Rome. The shape of the building was modeled after the churches in Kraków and Lublin, with additional towers. The author of the design was Jan Frankiewicz, a pupil of architect Giovanni Maria Bernardoni. In the middle of the 18th century the church was reconstructed by architect Thomas Zebrowski. Under his supervision a stepped lantern cupola with a crown was erected. This large and impressive cupola is unique in the entire region of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Under Russia's occupation the church of St. Casimir was converted into a Russian Orthodox church. In 1915 Vilnius was occupied by the Germans and the church was converted into the Evangelical Lutheran prayer house of the Vilnius Garrison. In 1919 the church of St. Casimir was returned to the Catholics, but was damaged again during the Second World War, closed down and in 1963 converted into a Museum of Atheism. The church was reconsecrated in 1991. The church is known for excellent acoustics and organ concerts with renowned international musicians.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Church of St. Casimir, Vilnius (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Church of St. Casimir, Vilnius
Didžioji g., Vilnius Old Town

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N 54.677638888889 ° E 25.288763888889 °
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Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčia

Didžioji g. 34
01127 Vilnius, Old Town
Vilnius County, Lithuania
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Church of St. Casimir in Vilnius (Wilno)
Church of St. Casimir in Vilnius (Wilno)
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Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, Vilnius
Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, Vilnius

St. Nicholas Church (Russian: Никольская церковь) is one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox churches in Vilnius, Lithuania, and belongs to the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Lithuania. According to a popular legend, the first wooden Orthodox chapel located on the place of today's St. Nicholas church was built around 1340. Seven years later, the Vilnius martyrs were supposedly buried there. However, in 1350, Uliana of Tver, the second wife of prince Algirdas, ordered to build a new brick church. In 1514, this church was again replaced with a larger one. It remained Orthodox up to 1609, when, like most of Vilnius Orthodox churches, it was given to the Uniates on a personal order of the king Sigismund III Vasa. Around 1740 the church was completely destroyed by fire and rebuilt in Baroque style. In 1839, the Russian local government closed the Uniate parish and given the building back to the Orthodox. After the failed Polish January Uprising, it was completely rebuilt in Neo-Byzantine style on the personal initiative of general-governor of Vilnius Mikhail Nikolayevich Muravyov-Vilensky. The renewed church was to be another sign of Russian domination in the city, becoming the fifth Orthodox church in the Old Town of Vilnius. Muraviev ordered also the construction of St. Michael the Archangel chapel which was to commemorate his victory over the Polish uprising. In 1866, the whole church was reconsecrated. The general-governor's role in the reconstruction of the church was described on a marble plaque on the western wall of the church. After World War II, the church was closed, but in 1947, the Stalinist government agreed to reopen it as a parish church. The general renovation of the building took place before 1956.