By the beginning of the 19th century, throughout Europe, cemeteries had moved away from urban areas, and Vilnius was no exception. Within the city boundaries, the German Roman Catholic congregation of St Martin’s at St. Anne’s Church could no longer bury members of its community in the basement of St. Ignatius’ Church, so it sought permission from the city administration to establish a new cemetery. Permission was duly granted, and the German Catholics promised to provide an eternal resting place for other believers, too. On 2 October 1810, a man called Antanas Skimburovičius – an unrecognisable name today – was buried there; he started the history of the Bernardine Cemetery, which has been going on for more than 200 years. The columbariums for storing the coffins and caskets of the deceased soon began to appear, and in 1827, the cemetery chapel was added; the cemetery took on its present appearance in 1861 when a new plot of land was allocated to it. The Bernadine Cemetery took its name from the fact that the Vilnius Bernardine Church administered it at that time. Until the middle of the 19th century, this cemetery was as important as Rasos Cemetery, which was opened nine years prior to the Bernardine Cemetery. Later on, however, the first Vilnius cemetery to be established gained more prominence than the Bernardine Cemetery, although this is also the resting place of some notable and deserving Vilnius citizens, such as Leon Borowski. He was the first to notice Adam Mickiewicz’s talent and exclaimed: “A genius, a genius was born in our land!” The famous photographer Stanisław Filibert Fleury and the equally famous Józef Czechowicz also lie here, as do the representatives of Jundziłł family – famous scientists, and the painters Kanuty Rusiecki, Bolesław Rusiecki, Aleksander and Wincenty Sleńdziński, the professor of medicine Konstanty Porcianko, the medical doctor and explorer of Vilnius Władysław Zahorski, and the painter and pilot Janina Dłuska. You will find the grave of the mother of the first head of the Soviet secret service and many others. So, we invite you to take a journey through the labyrinths of human life.
What you’ll learn/see on the route:
Which famous Vilnius photographers are buried in the Bernardine Cemetery?
Where do the remains of the protagonist of Kristina Sabaliauskaitė’s novel ‘Silva Rerum IV’ rest?
What plant adorns the grave of the founding father of Lithuanian botany?
A map of the Bernardine Cemetery can be found here.
Route
1.Józef Jundziłł (1794–1877)
Botanist and florist who taught at Vilnius University. His uncle Stanisław Bonifacy Jundziłł was also a scientist. Józef travelled around Lithuania and studied the flora of the lower Nemunas River, the banks of the Nevėžis and Šventoji rivers, and the flora of Samogitia. He collected 543 plant species. From 1823, he headed the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University, opening it to the public and distributing plant seeds and seedlings to the citizens. In Vilnius, he published his best scientific work, ‘A Description of Wild and Cultivated Plants of Lithuania, Volhynia, Podolia, and Ukraine’ (1830).
2. Stanisław Filibert Fleury (1858–1915)
He was one of the few great Vilnius photographers who found his vocation and eternal resting place in Vilnius. From 1874 to 1878, S. F. Fleury studied at the Vilnius Drawing School under the direction of Ivan Trutnev. Later, he worked as an apprentice in the atelier of the photographer Władysław Strauss. From 1884, Fleury worked as a photographer. He was a pioneer of stereoscopic photography and the first to produce zinc-graphic clichés-verre in Lithuania (a photographic print made from a ‘negative’ in which the image has been executed primarily by hand and not through the lens of a camera). He painted in oil, tempera, and watercolour. He was a sought-after portrait photographer. He photographed M. K. Čiurlionis and B. Rusiecki and made a photo-fixation of the frescoes of Trakai Castle. His photographs were used to illustrate W. Zahorski’s publication ‘Vilnius Cathedral’.
3. Stanisław Karol Marenicz (1856–1913)
One of the many medics of Vilnius. A native of Lublin, he studied medicine at the University of Warsaw and the Military Academy in St. Petersburg. He came to Vilnius as a military physician and worked in the venereal disease ward of Antakalnis Military Hospital. From 1880, he was a member of the Vilnius Medical Society, which was founded in 1805 by Józef Frank; Marenicz went on to become its president in 1907. He was very active in the Anti-Tuberculosis League and was its chairman. His grave is adorned with one of the most beautiful monuments in the Bernardine Cemetery, the Angel of Peace. It is a copy of the work of the famous Warsaw sculptor L. Vasilkovski, made in the workshop of R. B. Liubanowski in Warsaw.
4. Vincentas Butvydas (1841–1912)
Priest, born in Šiauliai and buried in Vilnius. Appointed by Motiejus Valančius to the priesthood in Žygaičiai, he was included in the distribution network of forbidden Lithuanian books known as the Lithuanian Book Smugglers (knygnešai). V. Butvydas edited the manuscripts of M. Valančius. He was arrested by the Tsarist authorities and imprisoned in Citadel No. 14; nowadays, this building is better known as Sluška Palace. His last parish was in Stakliškės, where he only celebrated the mass in the Lithuanian language. He took care of the orphan Liudas Gira (who went on to become a famous poet, writer, and literary critic).
5. Piotr Zelinger (1824–1905)
One of the most famous opera tenors in Vilnius in the second half of the 19th century, Zelinger was born in Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk); he received his musical education in Lviv, where he made his debut as a singer. He arrived in Vilnius in 1854 and appeared in Gaetano Donizetti’s opera ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’. However, his most important role was on 26 November 1863, when he played Jontek in S. Moniuszko’s opera ‘Halka’. He was famous for his musicality, sonorous voice, and majestic stature – in those days, it was hard to imagine a career as an opera singer without it. The current monument to the singer was erected by the Vilnius Historical Cemetery Society ‘Rasos’.
6. Władysław Zahorski (1858–1927)
Another physician whose eternal resting place is in the Bernardine Cemetery. Like many intellectuals of that time, he did not limit himself to his direct work. Zahorski was one of the founders of the Vilnius Secret Society of Antiquities and Ethnography. In 1907, he took part in the founding of the Vilnius Society of Friends of Science and took on the role of chairman. In 1915, he founded a hospital for infectious diseases in Kirtimai. He was also the chairman of the Vilnius Red Cross and one of the initiators of the restoration of Vilnius University; the University awarded him an honorary doctorate. He was a researcher of the old Vilnius cemeteries and painted their tombstones. He published books on the architectural monuments of Vilnius and also published Vilnius tales and legends. In 1910, he published his ‘Guide to Vilnius’.
7. Helena Dzerdžinska (1849–1896)
H. Dzerdžinska descended from the family of Baron Pilcher von Pilchau. She was the mother of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the first head of the secret services in the USSR. He said of her: “Our mother is immortal in us and rejoices with us and grieves with us. She gave me a heart, gave me love for her, expanded my heart, and took up residence in it.” According to one urban legend, her grave was an obstacle to the Soviet authorities destroying the cemetery.
8. Lucian Eduard Uzembla (1864–1942)
Known as the walking encyclopaedia of Vilnius by her peers, Uzembla worked directly and publicly to preserve the culture of the city and the country. He had a huge library and a collection of works of art. From 1907 to 1914, he was the chief custodian of the collections of the Vilnius Science and Art Museum. From 1919, he was an expert at the Faculty of Art of Vilnius University, and between 1907 and 1914, he was a member of the Society of Science and Art. In 1913, he participated in the Art Industry Exhibition in Vilnius and was awarded a silver medal for his collection. He found two paintings by J. Rustem and donated them to Vilnius University. He helped to acquire the lithographic stones of J. K. Vilčinskas’s ‘Vilnius Album’. He researched Rasos, the Bernardine, and other old Vilnius cemeteries.
9. Herkulan Józef Abramowicz (1801–1873)
Having arrived in Vilnius from Mazovia to study, he took part in the activities of the secret Philaret (Filaret – ‘lovers of virtue’) Society during his student years. He served in the Polish and later Russian armies. He finished his career as a lieutenant general. He was later appointed as the director of the Vilnius Theatre and became known as its dedicated director. It is thanks to him that Piotr Zelinger began singing in Vilnius, and Moniuszko’s opera ‘Halka’ was staged.
10. Leon Borowski (1784–1846)
Lecturer in rhetoric and poetry at Vilnius University, who taught at the university from 1814 to 1832 and became a professor in 1821. He participated in the activities of the ‘Uolusis lietuvis’ (Diligent Lithuanian) Masonic Lodge. He belonged to ‘Towarzystwo Szubrawców’ – the Society of Shubravtsy (or The Idlers/Loafers). He translated works by Lucretius, Terence, Molière, Cervantes, Milton, and Byron. He was the author of a textbook on rhetoric for secondary schools. With a good knowledge of literature, he disliked dogmatism and stagnation. He admired Romanticism in literature and encouraged the sources of Romantic poetry in folklore. He taught Adam Mickiewicz and heralded his recognition and glory as a genius.
11. Konstantin Porzianka (1793–1841)
Porzianka was a Professor of Medicine at Vilnius University who pioneered Lithuanian scientific oncology. From 1819 to 1832, he taught desmurgy (the treatment and dressing of wounds), general therapy, pharmacology, toxicology, and surgery at the Medical College of Vilnius University. He was the head of the university clinic. Before the advent of anaesthesia, he performed three operations to remove kidney stones. His scientific dissertation ‘On Cancer of the Lip’ was one of the first in the history of Lithuanian and Russian oncology.
12. Zachary Niemczewski (1766–1820)
This tomb should be visited by mathematics enthusiasts, as it is the burial place of the professor of applied mathematics at Vilnius University – Z. Niemczewski. He was born in Vainutas (near Šilutė) and graduated from Vilnius University in 1794 at the twilight of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; in the course of time, he furthered his education in Paris. If you pick up the book ‘A Description of Ancient and Modern Poland’ by the French geographer Conrad Malthe, you will find two chapters on Lithuania and the Lithuanian language. Niemczewski was the head of the Department of Applied Mathematics at Vilnius University. He had a good command of the Lithuanian language and was a member of the ‘Uolusis lietuvis’ (Diligent Lithuanian) Masonic Lodge. In his will, he made a bequest to support gifted pupils from Kražių Gymnasium; scholarships were paid until 1914, when the school moved to Kaunas.
13. Kanuty Rusiecki (1800–1860)
Kanuty Rusiecki was a well-known painter who had learnt his craft from Jan Rustem. As the most gifted pupil, he was sent to Europe to further improve his techniques and hone his talents. He underwent training in Paris and studied at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. During his time in Italy, he maintained contacts with the secret revolutionary societies known as the Carbonari. Among Kanuty Rusiecki’s most famous paintings are ‘Lithuanian Girl with Willows’ (sometimes also translated as the ‘Lithuanian Girl with Palm Sunday Fronds’) and ‘The Reaper’. He restored the interior of the Chapel of the Gates of Dawn and a painting of the Virgin Mary. Kanuty Rusiecki is considered one of the most famous Lithuanian Romantic painters. Kanuty’s son, Bolesław Rusiecki, was also a painter and is also buried here.
14. Wincenty Sleńdziński (1837–1909)
W. Sleńdziński is a classic 19th-century Lithuanian artist who could have become one of the most famous artists of the Tsarist Russian Empire if not for his participation in the 1863–1864 uprising. He studied art in Moscow and was renowned as a very talented student, with medals awarded for his work during his studies. He was deported to the city of Kharkiv for his participation in the uprising. After being exiled, he visited Krakow and met the painter Jan Matejko. Sleńdziński became known as a painter of church paintings and portraits. His best-known painting, ‘The Old Woman Threading a Needle’ (1860), is in the Lithuanian Art Museum.
15. Józef Czechowicz (1818–1888)
Probably one of the most famous Lithuanian photographers of the second half of the 19th century. He studied photography in Paris and art in Warsaw. From 1865, he lived in Vilnius and had a photo studio here, which operated until his death. J. Czechowicz was a pioneer of interior photography. In 1872, his photographs won the Silver Medal of the Moscow Polytechnic Exhibition. He was also awarded a silver medal at the 1882 Russian Art and Industry Exhibition. From 1869, he photographed Vilnius, as well as its surroundings and interiors. About 200 of his photographs survive. He was the compiler of the albums ‘Widoki Wilno’ (‘Views of Vilnius’, 1870) and ‘Album Brzegow Wilii (‘Album of the Banks of the Neris’, 1870).
16. Vytautas Kairiūkštis (1890–1961)
Halina Kairiūkštytė-Jacinienė (1896–1984)
Vytautas Kairiūkštis was a painter and art critic born in Sejny (Seinai). He combined Lithuanian and Polish art traditions and held exhibitions in both Vilnius and Warsaw. From 1924, he was a member of the ‘Blok’ group of Polish constructivist artists. Between 1940 and 1944, he was the Head of the Art Department of Kaunas State Museum of Culture. He also taught art history and composition at the Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts. His main field of study was the art of M. K. Čiurlionis. From 1953, he lived and worked in Vilnius.
His sister, H. Kairiūkštytė-Jacinienė – an artist, ethnographer and art historian – is buried nearby. She studied art and art history in Moscow, Munich, Münster, and Zürich. She was the author of the monograph ‘Pažaislis – a Baroque Monastery in Lithuania’. Her interest in folk costumes is reflected in her work – she painted about 300 costume reconstructions.
17. Janina Dłuska (1899–1932)
Janina Dłuska, one of the first female aircraft pilots in Europe, is buried here. However, she began her professional career as a painter. She graduated from the Moscow Academy of Arts. During the war between Poland and Soviet Russia, she was a nurse in a volunteer women’s battalion. Later, she studied for three years at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. She was a contributor to the fashion magazines ‘Vogue’, ‘Die Dame’ and ‘Elegante Welt’. In 1931, she returned to Vilnius and joined the Vilnius Aeroclub. Unfortunately, she passed away after a plane crash during a training flight.
18. Stanisław Bonifacy Jundziłł (1761–1847)
Stanisław Bonifacy was the uncle of the botanist Józef Jundziłł and was the first to teach botany and zoology at the Vilnius Piarist School. He taught mineralogy, botany, and zoology at Vilnius University. He studied in Saxony, the Czech Republic, and Austria. After refusing lucrative offers, he returned to Vilnius and, from 1799 to 1823, was the head of the Vilnius University Botanical Gardens. He moved it to the Bernardine Garden, planted rare plants, and built greenhouses. His work ‘Botanical Primordia’ was used as a textbook. On the grave of S.B. Jundziłł, there is a thorn, which the naturalist V. Beseris named Rosa Jundziłł.
19. Antoni Tyszkiewicz (1784–1871)
Antoni was one of the noble Tyszkiewicz (Tiškevičius) family members who chose to serve in the army of the Russian Tsar, rising to the rank of colonel. He was a participant in the Napoleonic Wars and became known for his great bravery – he was liked by his subordinates for this. Antoni Tyszkiewicz took part in the battles of Austerlitz, Heilsberg, and Friedland, as well as the battles of Vitebsk, Smolensk, and Borodino. He was awarded all the Tsarist Russian medals and a number of Allied decorations – according to his contemporaries, at dinner party banquets he hosted, when the candle flames flickered, there were so many honourable awards that the room shone like a church altar.
A number of other famous personalities are interred in the Bernadine Cemetery, but unfortunately, there are no plaques to mark this, and one columbarium has completely disappeared. The columbariums, which once housed coffins in their niches before being bricked up, were built as early as 1812. It is known that General Joseph Lefebvre, son of one of Napoleon’s army marshals, François Joseph Lefebvre, who died in Vilnius in 1812, is buried in the western columbarium to the left of the chapel.
Another personality, made famous by Kristina Sabaliauskaitė’s novel ‘Silva Rerum IV’, who rests, or is supposed to rest, in the preserved columbarium, is the last of the Norvaiša family, Pranciškus Milikontas Norvaiša, or in Polish, Franciszek Ksawery Narwojsz (1742–1819). His tombstone, which was not destroyed before the Second World War, bears the following words: ‘Pranciškus Milikontas Norvaiša, Doctor of Philosophy at Vilnius Imperial University. Theologian. Emeritus. One of the 12 foreigners who belonged to the Italian Society of Sciences. <…> Abroad, he was the pride of his country.”
Other notable people were buried in the cemetery chapel. The most famous burial there was probably the grave of Teofilia Radziwiłł (1791–1828), the wife of Dominik Radziwiłł, who was the first to enter Vilnius during Napoleon’s campaign. This was one of the most extravagant couples of the early 19th century.
Route and photos by Donatas Jokūbaitis
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