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Church of St. Casimir, Vilnius

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Church of St. Casimir
Lithuanian: Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčia
Main façade
Main façade
54°40′39.50″N 25°17′19.55″E / 54.6776389°N 25.2887639°E
Location Vilnius
Country Lithuania
Denomination Catholic
Tradition Latin Church
Religious order Society of Jesus
Website www.kazimiero.lt
History
Founder Great Chancellor Leonas Sapiega
Dedication Saint Casimir
Architecture
Functional status Active
Architect(s) Jan Frankiewicz,[1][2] Tomas Žebrauskas
Architectural type Church
Style Baroque
Years built 1604–1618
Specifications
Height 55.6 metres (182 ft)
Materials plastered masonry
Administration
Archdiocese Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vilnius
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name Vilnius Old Town
Type Cultural
Criteria Cultural: (ii), (iv)
Designated 1994
Reference no. 541
UNESCO region Europe

Church of St. Casimir, Vilnius — 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.

History

The construction of the church began on 12 May 1604[1] in memory of the holy prince Saint Casimir, who was canonized on 4 March the same year.[3] It was built by the Jesuits with funding by the major Lithuanian magnates, among them Lew Sapieha, Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł the Orphan, Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, and Aleksander Gosiewski.[4] The construction was also financially supported by King Sigismund III Vasa, as well as his son, Cardinal Karol Ferdynand Vasa.[3] 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.[4] 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.[2] The shape of the building was modeled after the churches in Kraków and Lublin, with additional towers.[5] The author of the design was Jan Frankiewicz,[5][1] a pupil of architect Giovanni Maria Bernardoni.

Despite providing financial support for the construction of the church, the royal court sought to limit its importance as a center of the cult of St. Casimir, in favor of St. Casimir’s Chapel built at the cathedral and the castle. During the 40-hour ceremony of the translation of the saint’s relics in 1636, the Church of St. Casimir was bypassed by the procession.[6]

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.[7]

See also

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Aleksandravičiūtė, Aleksandra (2015). "Sacred Spaces". In Iršėnas, Marius; Račiūnaitė, Tojana (eds.). The Lithuanian Millenium. History, Art and Culture. Vilnius Academy of Arts Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-609-447-097-4.
  2. Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Krasny, Piotr (1999). "Architecture in Poland 1572-1764". In Ostrowski, Jan K. (ed.). Land of the Winged Horsemen: Art in Poland 1572-1764. Yale University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0300079180.
  3. Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 Czyż 2021, p. 220.
  4. Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 "Vilniaus jėzuitų profesų namai ir Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčia". vienuolynai.mch.mii.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  5. Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Betlej, Andrzej (2012). "Jesuit Architecture in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1564–1772". In Álvaro, Maria Isabel (ed.). La Arquitectura Jesuítica. Actas del Simposio Internacional. IInstitucion Fernando el Catolico. pp. 290–291. ISBN 978-84-9911-158-2.
  6. Back to citation Czyż 2021, pp. 220–221.
  7. Back to citation "Vargonų muzikos mylėtojus kviečia Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčia". elta.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 29 August 2020; "Klasikos koncertų salė. Kristupo festivalio Kazickų šeimos sakralinės muzikos koncerto įrašas iš Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčios". Lrt.lt (in Lithuanian). 22 June 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020; "Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčioje - nemokami vargonų meistrų koncertai". vilniuje.info (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 29 August 2020.

Bibliography

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