Vilnius monasteries

The Dominicans, established in the 13th century, were among the first monks to come to Lithuania as missionaries. It is known that the future King of Lithuania, Mindaugas, was baptised by the Dominican Bishop of Chełmno, Heinrich. The Dominicans appeared and settled in Lithuania mostly thanks to St. Hyacinth, also known as Święty Jacek. St. Hyacinth was one of the first brothers to be admitted to the Order by Dominic himself and was often called the ‘Apostle of the North’ because he visited Lithuania, Latvia, and Scandinavia many times. A chapel built in his honour can be seen at the intersection of S. Konarskio and Jovarų Streets. 

In the 17th century, one of the three Dominican churches in Vilnius was built on the outskirts of the city in the former area of Lukiškės – the Church of St. Philip and St. Jacob. The main duty of the monks who lived here was to bury the poor and hold church services for the needy of the city. During the Soviet era, the church was used as a warehouse for fruit and vegetables and later as storage for the Opera and Ballet Theatre. For many people in Vilnius, the place still reminds them of St. Jacob’s Hospital, which operated on the premises of the former monastery. In 1993, after the Dominican Friars of the Order of Preachers returned, an active community of believers gathered here. 

The church has a venerated icon that was brought to the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the 17th-century wars with Russia; it is one of the oldest icons of Our Lady of Lukiškės, famous for its miracles. The book ‘Stebuklų knyga’ records the miracles that people have experienced when praying to this icon. Since 2015, one of the church’s towers has been home to the largest carillon in the Baltic States, consisting of 61 bells. Vilnius residents and visitors are delighted by the frequent classical and religious music concerts held in the church and the Vilnius Carillon Festival held in the summertime.

The first Baroque church built in Vilnius can be recognised by the distinctive crown on the cupola of the church. However, this crown was not always destined to grace the Vilnius skyline. Today, the interior of this formerly exclusive church is modest, but the historical experience is rich. Shortly after King Casimir was canonised as a saint, in 1604, a church was ordered to be built in Vilnius, next to the Jesuit monastery, in the name of the saint. The design of the church was modelled on the Basilica of the Name of Jesus (Il Gesu) in Rome, but unlike the Basilica in Rome, the shrine in Vilnius had two towers on the main facade. After the uprisings of the 19th century, the church was closed and later converted into an Orthodox church, with the side towers lowered and the dome decorated with onion-shaped helmets. St Casimir’s Church, which became the Museum of Atheism during the Soviet era, has lost all the authenticity of its original interior. Today, the church is once again open to the faithful and attached to the Jesuit monastery, as it was when it was built. 

Although only a few of the 13 altars that once adorned the interior of the church remain, it is interesting to take a look around the church, admiring the multi-tiered dome or descending to the burial crypt of the Jesuit monks, where the revered relics of St. Andrew Bobola rest in peace.

Salesians – this is the name given to the brothers who form an active community in the Lazdynai district; they work with schoolchildren and young people in accordance with the principles of the founder of the congregation – St. John Bosco. The Salesians, who started working in Lithuania at the beginning of the 20th century, were scattered during the occupations and wars – some were exiled, and others went underground or fled to the West. It was not until 1991 that the brothers returned to Lithuania, and several monks from Italy and Poland came to strengthen the community. The aim of the Brothers is to lead young people away from dangerous habits and addictions and to show them the prospect of a better life. Based on the charisma of St. John Bosco, the Salesian Brothers work with young people by organising oratories (spaces for children’s activities), children’s camps, festivals, interactions with schools and families, choirs and youth groups.

In the interwar period, the first Salesians of Vilnius were first established in the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and eventually, the Church of St. Stephen in the Station (Stotis) district was placed under their care. However, when the brothers returned, the former churches could not be recovered, so the Salesian monastery was built in one of the city’s new micro-neighbourhoods, Lazdynai, where the parish of St. John Bosco was established. The present church was completed in 2004.

The hill surrounding Užupis was called the Hill of the Saviour 300 years ago. It was the site of missionary monks’ gardens with ponds, apiaries, and herb beds. The missionaries educated the children of the city’s poor, and the Sisters of Charity established the first hospital for the poor of Vilnius. The Visitation Sisters had an equally impressive convent nearby. Vilnius is adorned with the cupola of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During the Soviet era, a prison was set up under the vaults of the monastery church. Its exquisite decor made it one of the most ‘luxurious’ prisons in the Soviet Union. 

Today, there are no missionary brothers on the hill of the Saviour, nor are there any Visitation Sisters or Sisters of Charity. However, the former site of their missionary work is today occupied by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Merciful Jesus. The Sisters, who returned to Vilnius in 2001, settled in the former building of the Visitation monastery, where the Vilnius-based artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski painted the world-famous ‘Divine Mercy’ painting. The former studio of the painter has become a modest chapel where the sisters meet with pilgrims. In a building next to the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, an adult and children’s hospice provides care for the dying and comfort for their relatives.

Gediminas’ letters inviting merchants and craftsmen to come to Vilnius are thought to have been written by Franciscan monks. They were among the first missionaries to arrive in Lithuania. The 14 Franciscans martyred under Algirdas are commemorated by the Three Crosses monument, and under Jogaila, after the baptism of Lithuania, it was from among the Franciscan monks that the first bishops of Vilnius, Andrzej, and Jakub emerged, laying the foundations for the creation of the Vilnius diocese.

At the beginning of the 16th century, along the then defensive wall of the city, in a bend of the Vilnelė River, a Franciscan monastery and the St. Francis of Assisi church ensemble became a landmark in the Vilnius landscape. The Franciscans were famous for their sermons and handicrafts. 

In around 1495, next to the then-still wooden Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the Franciscans began to build the Chapel of the Brotherhood of St. Anne. Now St. Anne’s Church is considered to be a pearl of flamboyant Gothic architecture. Meanwhile, the main Bernardine church of the monks was badly damaged by Napoleon’s army, and during the Soviet era, it housed the warehouse of the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1994, the church was returned to the Franciscans. The impressive Baroque wooden altars have been restored, and the best-preserved Gothic frescoes in Lithuania have been discovered and restored, as well as the paintings in the monastery. The hymns and music of the parish’s worship groups leave no one unmoved when they visit the church.

The site on Trakų Street, where the Franciscan Conventual Church stands, is one of the earliest Catholic sites in Vilnius. The Franciscan Friars were allowed to settle in Smiltynė (or Smėliai) – a part of the Old Town that was once known by that name as early as the time of Gediminas – when they responded to the call of the Grand Duke. In 1332, they built a monastery and a church and consecrated it the ‘Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary’. Fires and invasions that ravaged the town led to the building of a new shrine in the 15th century. During the Napoleonic campaigns, the church was converted into a grain store, and during the Soviet era, it was used for storing archives, but when the archives moved out, the church was abandoned and began to fall into ruin. In 1998, when the church was returned to the Franciscan Conventuals, restoration and renovation work began. 

Since the 18th century, the statue of the White Madonna, famous for her graces, has been an important attraction of this church. It is quite rare to see a pregnant Blessed Virgin in church art. The White Madonna is revered as the guardian of families, the patron of dysfunctional families, the intercessor of couples unable to bear children, and the patron of the unborn.

In 1369, during the reign of Duke Algirdas, the Franciscans who had come to Vilnius were martyred by the citizens. In the place of their grave, a cross was erected that was untouched by the fires of the city; moreover, the intercession of the martyrs brought graces. In the 16th century, the site of the cross was occupied by the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which was later entrusted to the Bonifrat monks who came to Vilnius. The monks nursed the city’s poor and sick. Later, the hospital established by the monastery began to care for the mentally ill, which was highly unusual in those days. Later, in the early 20th century, the city’s first psychiatric hospital was moved to Naujoji Vilnia. 

During the Soviet era, the church was used as a concert hall, and some people talk nostalgically about their childhood here, as the monastery building served as apartments at one time. Since 1995, the buildings have been handed over to the Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor and the monastery was renovated. The social centre, ‘The House of the Holy Cross’, coordinated by the sisters, is attached to the church and cares for people in difficulty (the homeless, the unemployed, the addicted, the lonely, and the elderly).

The venerated painting of the Virgin Mary of the Snows inside the Church is a replica of the one painted on the façade of the church. A small spring flows in the cellar of the monastery – people believe that its water cures eye diseases.

In 2000, The Brothers of St. John settled in Vilnius in a special place in the city – the former Trinitarian monastery near Sapieha Park. The Trinitarian congregation was founded in the 12th century during the Crusades and was responsible for the redemption of Christians from the captivity of non-Christians. The monks’ work is symbolised by one of the sculptures above the entrance to the church, which decorates the central façade of the church: two Christian soldiers who have been taken prisoner and an angel comforting them. From the time of the Trinitarians to the arrival of the Brothers of St. John, more than 300 years had passed. During that time, the church had been converted into an Orthodox church and the monastery into barracks; during the interwar years, it was used as the University Hospital and, during the Soviet era, as a warehouse. When Lithuania regained its independence, the Seminary of Vilnius was located here.

Although it has lost much of its interior splendour, this church’s unexpected sense of space takes the breath away of many who enter. The moulding, the relief elements and the octagonal cupola create a cosy and harmonious interior of the Church of the Saviour. The Brothers of St. John, also known as Johannites, have created an active and vibrant community of believers. The church is also home to St. John of God. The Church also has a convent of the contemplative Sisters of St. John.

St. Mother Teresa is one of the world’s most famous women who worked with the poorest people in India. The convent she founded continues its work throughout the world. There are six Sisters of Mother Teresa in Lithuania. Officially known as the Missionaries of God’s Love, the sisters settled in Lithuania in 1991. The convent in Vilnius, located next to the Bus Station, has a free canteen, provides food for struggling families, the homeless and the lonely, and offers various activities for children. You can contribute to the Sisters’ mission in the city and volunteer by helping in the kitchen, preparing food, and serving meals.

Looking down from the hills of Vilnius, one cannot help but notice the expressive, late Baroque form of the Bell Tower of St Johns’ Church. It is the tallest building in Vilnius Old Town, rising some 68 metres into the sky. Now part of the Vilnius University ensemble, The Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Apostle and Evangelist was the first parish church in Vilnius – built in 1386 with the permission of Jagiełło (Jogaila). In the 16th century, the Jesuits began to establish one of the oldest and most famous universities in Central and Eastern Europe next to this church as a response to the spreading ideas of the Reformation. 

Due to historical circumstances, the purpose of the church has changed many times, but it has always been surrounded by an academic community. During the Soviet era, St. Johns’ Church was handed over to Vilnius University, and a Science Museum was opened there. After the restoration of independence, the Jesuits returned to St. Johns’ Church to continue their pastoral ministry. Various prayer groups gather here, and a gospel choir sings in the church. Organ and other concerts and graduation ceremonies for Vilnius University students are also held here.