Vilnius Cathedral

Vilnius Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus, stands on Cathedral Square at the foot of Gediminas Hill in Vilnius, Lithuania. The site is traditionally linked to a pagan sacred place, and a first Catholic cathedral was founded here after the Christianisation of Lithuania in 1387 under Grand Duke Jogaila. The building was destroyed and rebuilt several times through fires, wars and reconstructions, passing through Gothic and Renaissance phases before the present Neoclassical form was created by the architect Laurynas Gucevičius between 1783 and 1801. Its white colonnaded portico with a Doric order and the statues of saints on the roofline give the exterior its austere, temple-like character. Inside, the nave is lined with chapels, the most important being the Baroque Chapel of St. Casimir, built in the 17th century, which holds the silver coffin of the patron saint of Lithuania and frescoes and marble decoration by Italian craftsmen. The cathedral also contains the tombs of Grand Duke Vytautas in the crypt, parts of earlier Gothic walls, and surviving wall paintings from several centuries. Excavations under the building in the 20th century revealed older foundations, including a possible pagan altar site and medieval brickwork, and these can be seen in the underground levels. The cathedral was closed and used as a picture gallery and storehouse during the Soviet period and returned to worship in 1989. It continues to serve as the main Catholic church in the country and hosts major liturgical and national ceremonies. Beside the cathedral stands a separate freestanding bell tower, whose lower levels date to defensive walls of the Lower Castle, and in the square the paving stone marker named Stebuklas marks the end of the Baltic Way of 1989. Visitors can enter freely during opening hours, with a modest fee for the crypt. Allow around 30 to 45 minutes for the interior and the surrounding square.