Church of St. Casimir, Vilnius, Lithuania

by Lucinda Walter

Title

Church of St. Casimir, Vilnius, Lithuania

Artist

Lucinda Walter

Medium

Photograph - Photographs, Photography, Digital Art, Fine Art

Description

Photograph was taken of St. Casimir church in Vilnius, Lithuania on a recent trip to many of the Eastern European Countries.


All images are copyright Lucinda Walter. The materials contained may not be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or downloaded in any way, shape or form. All rights are reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the Artist is strictly prohibited.
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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.[1] 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. 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, designed along the line of the famous Il Gesù church in Rome (Church of the Gesù). It was apparently designed by Povilas Bokša, and the construction was supervised by Jan Frankiewicz, a pupil of architect Giovanni Maria Bernardoni. In the middle of the 18th century the church was reconstructed by architect Tomas Žebrauskas. 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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Casimir,_Vilnius

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July 1st, 2017

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