The Verkiai route

After the Baptism of Lithuania at the end of the 14th century, Jogaila (Jagiełło) established Vilnius’ Episcopate and donated Verkiai to its bishops. Thanks to the efforts of Bishop Ignacy Massalski, the former Grand Duke’s Palace was reconstructed and became the ‘Versailles of Vilnius’ – one of the most valuable Classicist buildings in Lithuania. The new classicist architectural ensemble of Verkiai was designed by the architect Marcin Knakfus and his apprentice, Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius. Between the two surviving outbuildings stood the central palace, which was demolished around 1844 by the decision of the owner L. Wittgenstein. Today, the eastern outbuilding is the most splendid building of Verkių Palace, where the 19th-century interiors have been restored.

Established in 1994 and extensively renovated in 2008, the Customs Museum collects and preserves historical, documentary, and other materials related to the history of customs. The museum’s collections comprise more than 7,000 different exhibits, of which approximately 3,000 are exhibited permanently. You can see an authentic Tsarist Russia-Prussian border pillar, learn about the ingenious ways smugglers would hide contraband, and see the displays of seized and counterfeit goods. The museum is one of the places where it is not only possible but necessary to touch some of the exhibits.

The Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross was built to commemorate the end of the Stations of the Cross in Vilnius – the Calvary complex stands on a hill that mirrors the topography of Golgotha Hill in Jerusalem. Bishop Jerzy Białłozor and Dominican monks built the first wooden church on the site in 1664-1669. In 1850, during the reign of the Tsar, the Dominican monastery was closed, but the church remained open. During the Soviet era, the Calvary Church was one of the few places of worship that did not close.

In the second half of the 17th century, to commemorate the liberation of Vilnius from the Russian occupation, Bishop Jurgis Białłozor donated seven voloks of land from the Verkiai Manor for the Calvary Church and the Stations of the Cross. Verkiai Calvary was to become a counterpart to the real places of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection. The Way of the Cross became especially important for pilgrims who did not have enough money to travel to the Holy Land. Vilnius Calvary was often chosen for its location, with similarities to Biblical sites such as hills, rivers, and valleys. During the Soviet era, the Stations of the Cross were officially banned, and the chapels were destroyed between 1962 and 1963 (except for the four closest to the church). In 1990-2002, Vilnius Calvary was accurately reconstructed based on surviving iconographic material. 

The church and the Trinitarian monastery were founded in 1695-1700 by Bishop Konstanty Kazimierz Brzostowski. After the wooden ensemble burnt down, the construction of the stone church and monastery continued throughout the 18th century. In 1846, after the uprising against the Tsarist regime, the Church of the Holy Trinity and the Trinitarian monastery were closed and handed over to the Orthodox Metropolitan. His summer residence was established there, and the church was converted into an Orthodox church in 1849. During the inter-war period, the Catholics were back at the helm, but after the Second World War, the complex operated as a hospital for a while and later became a tourist base. In 1992, Trinapolis was returned to the Curia of the Vilnius Archdiocese.