Tuesday, May 05, 2009

TEMPLES IN OLD TOWN

VILNIUS - JUNE 2008

The last post took care of the Vilnius cathedral and surroundings; this one deals with temples in Old Town...


"CHAPEL OF THE GATE OF DAWN - This shrine is one of the most visited in Lithuania, not only by residents but also by pilgrims from abroad, as the painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Chapel is said to have miracle-working powers"


"VILNIUS MADONNA - The picture, copied in other countries, was painted in 17th century, in tempera on oak boards, later repainted in oil"


"HOLY SPIRIT - This late baroque church, successor of one existing already in the times of Gediminas, is one of the oldest in Vilnius. Built by Grand Duke Vytautas at the beginning of the 15th century, the church was later given to the Dominicans. Today it is a parish church of the city’s Polish community"


"INSIDE - The interior of the church, decorated in Rococo style with faux marble, stucco, frescoes and paintings, is one of the most valuable in Lithuania, including 45 paintings, which are listed as monuments"


"ST. THERESA - One of the earliest Baroque churches in Vilnius, it was built between 1633 and 1650 using sandstone, granite and marble imported from Sweden"


"ARCH HOLY TRINITY - The 18th century gate to the Basilian monastery and to the cube-shaped Holy Trinity Church is topped with a Holy Trinity composition"


"ST. CASIMIR - One of the first Baroque churches in Vilnius, it was built by the Jesuits from 1604 through 1618, when its interior was finished. In the 18th century the dome (the only one of such size in all former lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania), with a tall lantern and a crown on its top, was built. Later the church was turned into a Russian Orthodox church, where Dostoyevsky prayed"


"INTERIOR - Turned into a Museum of Atheism during the Soviet period, it was returned to the cult in 1988"


"ST. MICHAEL - Built by Leonas Sapiega between 1594 and 1604 for a convent of Bernardine nuns and also to serve as a family mausoleum, the Church was burned during the war with Moscow. Restored between 1663 and 1673, the belfry was built in the 18th century. In 1956 the Church opened as a Museum of Architecture"



"CAMPANILE - Sts. Johns' is the tallest bell tower and one of the highest (68m) buildings in the Old Town of Vilnius"


"STS. JOHNS - The Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist was completed in 1426 as a Gothic building. In 1571 the church was transferred to the Jesuits to become part of the Vilnius University. During its life, it has seen masses, student protests, theatre performances, welcoming ceremonies and it had even been a warehouse, before the University Museum was established there. The present baroque façade dates from the 18th century"


"INTERIOR - Sts. Johns has the largest organ in Lithuania"


"ST. PARASKEVA - Originally constructed in 1345, allegedly on the site of a pagan sanctuary built in honour of Ragutis, the god of beer, the church was renovated several times, the last one between 1986 and 1988. Peter the Great visited it in 1705 and Alexander Pushkin's great grandfather was supposedly baptised there"


"ST. NICHOLAS ORTHODOX CHURCH - The first church on this spot was built in 1514. With the arrival of General Muravyov and of his Russification programme, the building was converted into a Russian Byzantine style church in 1865. It's dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron of travellers and traders..."


"CHORAL SYNAGOGUE - This Synagogue, built in the Moorish style in 1903, is the only one remaining of the more than one hundred synagogues and Jewish temples existing in Vilnius before WWII. Vilnius had then a Jewish community of over 100,000 people"



"ST. CATHERINE - One of the finest examples of the so-called Vilnius Baroque, the church started in 1618 to take its present appearance after the 1743 reconstruction. Damaged during WWII, it was substantially renovated after Lithuania regained its independence. In 2006, the Municipality transferred the administration and the excellent acoustics of the central nave have been used as venue for concerts of the Saint Christopher’s Chamber Orchestra, the choir «Young Music», the boys’ and young people’s choir «Little Oak» as well as others"

57 comments:

Trotter said...

Hi Everybody! With this post, we finish the tour of the churches in Old Town Vilnius. Next we’ll show some other views in Lithuania. Hope you enjoy, as this blog is now basically kept to give you some enjoyment... My only gratification is given by the comments you leave here and the chance I’ve to reply to them, and I must confess that having almost one third of «Blogger Followers» that have never left a comment here makes me think: Delurkers... ;))
So, if you’re tired, please let me know! And have a great week!

Final_Transit said...

Hi Gill,
Liked the pictures of churches, the architecture is beautiful. I seldom comment, but always check your posts. I am a desktop traveler these days... LOL!

alicesg said...

The architectural designs of the churches are so beautiful. I saw one of the church in Macau that looked exactly like St. Theresa Church in your photo.

SusuPetal said...

Gold and glitter in those temples!

Venksh said...

Gil,
wow superb temple's with gold art work...
even in south India most temple will hav the top most tower covered with gold...
you should checkout Tirupathi temple the whole tower is made of gold...

kven.
http://kollywoodmoviereview.blogspot.com/

hpy said...

I also noticed that the sky was blue all the time.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Gil - this is truly awesome.....some of the finest buildings and architecture that I have ever seen! I porbably will not see these in person, nonetheless, the fact that I can view it through your eyes and lens make me feel extremely happy!

Do continue this supreme effort!

Wishes

Rakesh

Rajesh said...

Very beautiful architecture. Each one of them is unique and all in one town. Amazing

magiceye said...

all so beautiful and impressive!

Tinsie said...

WOW! Amazing churches, esp. the Holy Spirit! Unbelievable, in a sense, and definitely very impressive.

Azer Mantessa said...

Astonishing interior architecture and fittings of the chapel. The blend between pink and green is serene.

Maria Verivaki said...

these churches really are amazing - they look like new, even though they are very old

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

These were all such interesting churches, Gil. I enjoyed seeing them and reading their history. You do such a good job in your research. I know how time consumig that can be.

All the churches and synagogue look very well maintained. It's good that they survived the world wars without damage.

Anonymous said...

Never get tired Gil of the educational and beautiful photos you leave us with. That organ in St. John's is incredible. I wish you could see our little country church...it's a tiny little thing but so sweet. And very historic. ~ Lynn
P.S. Yep, Sewing machines are high tech these days. I pray that my computerized one does not mess up like my computer. Big bucks to fix. Have a wonderful weekend whereever you and Mrs. are.

Baron's Life said...

Thanks for the inside look of the Cathedral..So Grand..So picturesque..So Regal..thanks GIL

Thérèse said...

Interesting the way the words are cut on the front of the Chapel (first picture)!

Lori said...

The interiors of those churches are simply spectacular. They certainly don't build them like that anymore! I hope you got to hear one of the organs being played.

Olivier said...

une belle série d'église. j'aime beaucoup l'orgue, tu as pu écouter un concert ?

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Heeh Gil!
Neh I'm never ever tired of your post's , the oppsite! I enjyed it all and still enjoy viviting your travels. PLEASE continue?

I like this old tmeples and I'm lookinmg forewards to see more , more thanks my friend.

Thanks for visiting my blog and that you are thye first eeh, thanks that you enjoyed watching my photo exibition,

see you:) JoAnn / Holland

Beefybob7 said...

Hi Gil,

Met people who owned big hotel in Vilnius when we were in Mykonos.

Maybe you stayed there?

Bob

alice said...

Inside and outside, so beautiful! And the sky is still blue!

Joy said...

Those are very grand churches, Gil! Thanks for giving me ideas of what I can look forward to in Vilnius.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comment. Come back tomorrow for more of the Keukenhof series!


joy
A Pinay In EnglandYour Love CoachI, Woman

lv2scpbk said...

I love the inside of those buildings. Spectacular!

Thanks for the comment on my grandson's picture. He's short so all he got was the tail feathers. LOL. He's been doing really good with his camera. I will be posting more from time to time.

A Lady's Life said...

I was extremely impressed with these churches. The interiors looked so beautiful. To actually be in a place where Dostoyevsky prayed and That Icon... we had one in our church that cried. They take it from church to church for people to see the sadness in this world.I personally carry a St Nicholas Icon everywhere with me and I believe he has protected me on more occasions than I care to mention.Seeing the church where Peter the Great Baptized Pushkins great Grandfather was extremely interesting for me to see.
Thank you so much for this travel :)

Nikon said...

The interior shots are some of your best, Gil! Beutiful shots of the exteriors, too with the bright blue sky and foliage.
Thanks for the visit!

Anonymous said...

yes, wonderful and interesting architecture

Cergie said...

Il suffit de peu de temps (relativement) pour faire disparaitre un patrimoine ancien ou tout du moins un patrimoine ciblé. Les synagogues de Vilnius et ce qui touche la royauté en France comme les restes mortels des rois ou leur effets personnels (il y a une expo en ce moment à Versailles qui montre la mode "à la française" mais exposant des vêtements des autres cours)
La sonorité de l'orgue doit être magnifique
Et cette vierge, la "VILNIUS MADONNA" ? Est-elle une "Vierge Noire" ? Si répandues et dont je ne connais l'origine ?

[G@ttoGiallo] said...

Fantastic churches tour - particularly appreciated the St John's organ.

Lara said...

a little bit of time to visit friends and great places: nice to be here this week! and also thanks for stopping by Uproad from time to time :)!

Rhonda Hartis Smith said...

These are sooooo beautiful, I especially love the inside shots--what an organ, amazing! Where is our next trip?

ps thanks for all the research and time that you spend on your posts. They are very informative and entertaining.

Ron said...

The pictures of the churches are just beautiful. There are no other words to describe it.

eye in the sky said...

europe and its lavish architecture... its always amazing the way you capture them. takes my breath away.

MedaM said...

This is another wonderful tour of the churches which I really enjoyed a lot! Your photos are fantastic and are precious records of so wonderful and interesting trips that you have had. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful life experience with us. I am impressed with the beauty of all those churches, its architectural stiles and decorations. I cannot say this one is more beautiful than the other because every church that I have seen in this and your previous post are beautiful and special on their own way.

leo said...

I've enjoyed pictures in this post and the previous one. Beautiful exterior, lavish interiors and check out the organs!! Makes me wonder of its sound... Great job!

Cutie said...

They are beautiful. The artwork on the walls are so detailed. Really wonder how people build such churches.

Anonymous said...

These churches are really something else. Spectacular!

Paz

Indrani said...

Beautiful churches! All the shots are clear and so well taken.

adelynne said...

I think the interiors of cathedrals are always beautiful :)

Pietro Brosio said...

Gil, these are really outstanding photos of the churches of Vilnius! I like so much the inside of "The Holy Spirit" church, the Synagogue and all the other splendid images.
Have a very good week ahead! :-)

Rajesh said...

The snaps are amazing. I could imagine myself standing right in front of these beautiful churches and seeing them directly.

april said...

Nice kind of baroque, not too much of ornaments. Fine photos.

lyliane six said...

Superbes églises et intérieurs voyage à envisager surement.
Je suis revenue avec la grippe allemande et sans voix, j'ai du mal à me soigner avec ma maman à m'occuper, mais j'ai bien pensé à vous et ne vous ai pas oubliés.Bonne semaine.

Shaun said...

Amazing amount of travelling you have done and extremely informative. I scrolled down the right hand side and was happy to see my previous country as having been visited... your map is nearly full... what then? I am extremely envious...

Oman said...

wow. your pics never really fail to impress me. great job. :)

Pierre said...

Thanks for sharing these awesome pics from Vilnius. Some are truly stunning and I've added you to my blogroll. Keep up the good work & happy travels!

PeterParis said...

Especially the interiors of the churches are stunning!!

Dina said...

So many churches and each one different.
I'm glad at least one synagogue is left and it looks well cared for.

Dina said...

A museum of atheism?? What did they put in it?! Glad those days are over.

bindu said...

The church interiors and organs are absolutely stunning!

Anonymous said...

Excellent photos as always. I partularly liked the church interiors.

Trotter said...

Hi Folks! One of the counters reached 50000 visitors on May 9, 2009! The other one says there were more than 62000 since 29 January 2007. A great deal of silent visitors... ;) So, thanks for your comments and keep them coming!!

Priyank,
Thanks for always dropping by! I’m also a desktop traveller these days... ;)

Alice SG,
Amazing that you found connections between churches in Macau and Vilnius...

Susu,
The churches are almost always rich buildings... ;)

Kven,
I wish I could visit all those fabulous temples in India! And of course, I would love to visit South India... One day!

Helen,
That was a treat we had: a blue sky most of the time!!

Rakesh,
Thanks! I truly appreciate your kindness here!

Rajesh,
They have actually quite a great deal of diversity...

Magiceye,
Indeed!

Tinsie,
The interior of the Holy Spirit church is stunning...

Azer,
You’re absolutely right!

Maria,
Most of them have been restored after many years of abandon...

Pat,
Thanks! Some were restored for the 2009 European Capital of Culture event in Vilnius!

Lynn,
I wonder how your little chapel is... Some of the Vilnius churches were actually outstanding Mittel-Europa baroque!!

Baron,
You’re welcome!

Thérèse,
Amazing indeed. Wouldn’t think of cutting them this way!

Lori,
Nowadays they are built other way; but remember Brasilia: they can be awesome also...

Olivier,
Pas de chance pour le concert, mais un autre show viendra dans un autre post !

JoAnn,
Thanks! Love to read you here and at your fabulous blog!!

Bob,
Sometimes it seems this world is small… ;))

Alice,
C’est vrai que le ciel a été sympa presque pendant tout le séjour… ;)

Joy,
You’ll have a great time there; furthermore is European Culture Capital 2009!!

Barb,
Great job your grandson is starting to do…

Lady,
My pleasure!

Paul,
Thanks!

Vaggelis,
Shame that you’re leaving us… We’ll miss your wonderful pictures!

Lucie,
Le patrimoine est comme la réputation: il suffit un seul moment pour le détruire et on a besoin de toute une longue journée pour le reconstruire… ;). La Vierge semble être noire…

G@tto,
That organ is outstanding!

Lara,
Thanks for dropping by and commenting!!

Rhonda,
Thanks! I’m still around Lithuania 2008; next will be also in the North… ;))

Ron,
Thanks! I’m always flattered for having you commenting here!

Eye,
Thanks! My pleasure!

Medam,
Thanks from the heart! I deeply appreciate you taking your time to comment so extensively here! Thanks again!

Leo,
I didn’t hear the sound, but can imagine it… ;)

Cutie,
People have been building impressive monuments since ages!! Amazing human nature, indeed!! ;)

Paz,
Glad that you enjoyed!

Indran,
Well, this time some shots came out quite nicely… ;)

Addy,
Yeah, but some are more beautiful than others… ;)

Pietro,
The interior of the Holy Spirit is awesome. That green stone is fabulous!!

Rajesh,
Start packing!! ;)

Ingrid,
Not so ornamented like some Bavarian churches, but lovely indeed…

Lyliane,
J’espère que ta grippe est déjà passée… On ne t’oublie pas, même si les choses ici sont un peu difficiles…

Shaun,
Which is your previous country?

Norman,
Thanks!

Pierre,
My pleasure. Keep commenting!! ;)

Peter,
That was also my feeling!

Dina,
Only one, but a nice one… I don’t know what they show in the Museum of Atheism; maybe they show different cards with Marx’s quote: « religion is the opium of the people»? ;))

Bindu,
Fully agree with you!

Shantanu,
Me too!!

Ash said...

Wow, Gil! I cannot stop looking at these. A M A Z I N G !!!!!

Trotter said...

Ash,
That was a nice tour of the old town temples!!

Light and Voices said...

Simply divine photographs! I loved the tour of the old churches.
Joyce

Trotter said...

Joyce,
My pleasure!

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