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Vilnius | Sightseeing | Churches

Bernardine Church & Monastery
Bernardine Church & Monastery
Built at the end of 15th century in the Gothic style, and rebuilt after the devastating fires of 1560 and 1564, the monastery was closed after the Lithuanian-Polish uprising of 1863 upon suspicion of anti-tsarist sentiments. From 1919 Polish officers occupied it, and during the Soviet era [...]


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Maironio 8
tel. 260 92 92
Mass: Mon, Tue Thu 07:30; Wed 07:30, 18:00; Fri 07:30, 18:00; Sat 09:00, 18:00; Sun 09:00(English), 10:30, 13:00, 17:00.
Cathedral
Cathedral
Once the site of a pagan monument, the first Christian church was thought to have been built here in 1251 by Grand Duke Mindaugas. The current construction dates back as far as 1419, but has suffered several fires and has gone through major reconstructions and renovations. Much of the current structure was erected between 1769 and 1820 by the architect L.Gucevičius in the French-classicist style. The Cathedral was closed by the Soviet regime in 1950 and used as a picture gallery before being returned to the Catholic church in 1990. Highlights include its eleven chapels, in particular the High Baroque Chapel of St. Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania. Built in 1636 to house the sarcophagus of the saint it's one of the national treasures of the country. The freestanding bell tower received six new bells in 2002, which wre ‘baptised’ by cardinal Audrys Juozas Bačkis in a special ceremony before they were hung.
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Katedros 1
tel. 261 11 27
Mass 08:00, 17:30, 18:30, Sun 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:15, 12:30, 17:30, 18:30.
Church of St. George the Martyr
Build in 1506 for the Carmelite monks. Originally Gothic, it got a late Baroque and rococo spruce-up in 1750-1755. It faces the building occupied by the Lithuanian Writers’ Union and, perhaps ironically, isn’t used as a church at all, but rather as a book depositry.
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K.Sirvydo 4

Church of Sts. Michael & Constantine
Church of Sts. Michael & Constantine
You simply can’t miss this Russian Orthodox church. Its huge onion domes are painted a terrible shade of green, and no one can explain why. Was the paint a donation? The church was built in 1913 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty. [...]


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J. Basanavičiaus 27
tel. 212 17 90

Church of the Apparition of the Holy Mother of God
Church of the Apparition of the Holy Mother of God
Built in 1903 with beautiful Byzantine cupolas, and one of the loveliest Russian Orthodox churches in Vilnius. Among the numerous icons hanging on walls and pillars are potted plants making the place feel alive. Next to the icons are special prayers for each saint, but as everything in the church is written in Russian you’ll need a translator to fathom them out. Mickevičiaus is an extension of Gedimino. If you stand half way along the street you can see the Cathedral to the east and this little fella to the west. An ironic coincidence?
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Vytauto 21/1
tel. 275 13 75
Services: Sat 16:00, Sun 09:00.
Church of the Holy Cross
Church of the Holy Cross
On the other side of the Presidential Palace from the University, this charming little church’s history dates back to 1543 and the building of a chapel on the site to commemorate the martyrdom of a group of 14th-century Franciscan friars. Slowly added to over the centuries, including the attached Bonifratri Monastery, the church is now more or less late Baroque in appearance with a few rococo flourishes, and is notable as being the only church in Vilnius converted from an ordinary house rather than being purpose-built. The small interior is well worth having a peep at if the main doors aren’t bolted as they usually are, the most outstanding feature being the painting, Holy Virgin Mother of Snow on the high altar, a copy of which can be found on the fresco over the main entrance. The small square in which the church is located also features a stylised, Soviet-era bust of Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius (1753-1798), Lithuania’s first serious architect who was responsible for the contemporary look of the Cathedral among other buildings in the city. [...]


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S. Daukanto 1
tel. 260 93 47
Mass: 17:15, Sun 10:00 (Latin), 12:00.
Church of the Holy Mother of God
Church of the Holy Mother of God
This church has gone through many incarnations since construction in the middle of the 14th century. Three major fires in 1610, 1716, and 1748 were responsible for changes to its appearance. In 1808 the religious building became academic when Vilnius University took it over. The architect M. Schultz divided the building into two floors in 1810 and constructed a library, classrooms and dissection rooms for anatomy classes. In 1842 soldiers moved in as the church acted as a barracks. Over the years it's also been used as an archive, warehouse and even a smithery. Only in the 1860s did the building become a church again. [...]


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Maironio 14
tel. 215 37 47
Services: Sat 17:00, Sun 09:00.
Church of the Holy Spirit
Church of the Holy Spirit
Built towards the end of the 14th century on the site of the first Gothic church in Vilnius, and reconstructed several times during the city’s turbulent history. In 1501 it was given to Dominican monks who built a monastery nearby. Its present appearance dates to the 18th century, when the in [...]


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Dominikonų 8
tel. 262 95 95
Mass only in Polish: 07:00, 07:30, 15:00, 18:00, Sun 08:00, 09:00, 10:30, 12:00, 18:00.
Evangelical Lutheran Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church
A Lutheran community is said to have existed in Vilnius since 1553. This little church, built in 1555 and set in a courtyard, combines Gothic and Baroque elements. The gorgeous rococo altar, built in 1741 by Glaubitz, has been restored to its former beauty and simply shouldn’t be missed. [...]


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Vokiečių 20
tel. 212 37 92
Mass: Wed 18:00; Sun 09:45 (English, Ecumenical Protestant), 11:00 (Lithuanian).
Franciscan Church
Franciscan Church
It's all a bit crumbly but this is one of the oldest buildings in Vilnius, dating from the mid 14th century. A wooden church and cemetery are believed to have existed even before that. The church you see now is primarily Gothic but picked up a few baroque elements in the late 18th century. In the 19th century it was knocked about a bit as it was used as a granary and an archive. Now it is mid-restoration and quite a sight with its wooden benches, tatty old rugs, patched-up floor and piles of bricks waitng for something to happen, all overlooked by a miracle-working statue of the Virgin Mary. The little yellow building in what used to be the cemetery at the corner of Trakų and Pranciškonų  was a mausoleum and chapel erected by, and for the family of, Mykolas Suzinas in 1708. [...]


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Trakų 9-1
tel. 261 42 42
Mass: 17:30 (Lithuanian), 19:00 (Polish). Sun 10:00 (Lithuanian), 11:30, 13:00 (Polish).
Holy Trinity Church & Basilian Gate
Holy Trinity Church & Basilian Gate
A real treat, consisting of a church, monastery, belfry and beautiful rococo gate. The 17.9m-high, 10.8m-wide gate was built in 1761 and designed by the architect Glaubitz. The church, which needs more than just a coat of fresh paint, was built in 1514 by order of Duke Ostrogiškis. The Gothic-style church and monastery belonged to the Uniate Basilian monks from the 17th to early 19th centuries. Today the ensemble houses the working monastery and functioning church of the Uniate Basilian monks. [...]


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Aušros Vartų 7
tel. 212 25 78
Services: Mon-Wed 07:45, Thu-Sat 17:30, Sun 10:00, 13:00 (Ukrainian).
Orthodox Church of St. Paraskeva
Orthodox Church of St. Paraskeva
Originally constructed in 1345 the church was renovated in 1865. Peter the Great visited it in 1705 and Alexander Pushkin's great grandfather, Hannibal, was supposedly baptised here. The church was reportedly built on the site of a pagan sanctuary constructed in honour of Ragutis, the god of be [...]


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Didžioji 2

Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit
Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit
Built in the 17th century on the site of converging trade routes and recently renovated, the icons and decorations are now brilliant. See the well-preserved bodies of the martyred Saints Anthony, Ivan and Eustachius, who are clothed in white during the Christmas period, black during Lent and r [...]


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Aušros Vartų 10
tel. 212 77 65
Services: 08:00, 17:00, Sun 06:45, 10:00, 17:00.
Reformed Evangelical Church
Reformed Evangelical Church
This Reformist church, built between 1830 and 1835 on the site of an earlier wooden building, is one of the best examples of late Classical architecture in the country. The church was closed by the Soviets in 1953 and transformed into an exhibition hall. It later served as a cinema, and if you take [...]


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Pylimo 20
tel. 279 10 52
Mass in Lithuanian Sun 11:00.
St. Anne's Church
St. Anne's Church
A much loved Vilnius landmark, and well deserving of the plethora of postcards and tourist guides (including this one, sometimes) that it fronts. While the first mention of a church in this location dates back to 1394, the current structure was designed by Benedikt Rejt (who also responsible for the Vladislav Hall in the Prague Castle complex) between 1495 and 1500 and has survived pretty much intact. The beauty of the church speaks for itself, but one thing worth noting are the 33 different kinds of brick used on its construction, giving it an almost handmade, intricate charm. Legend has it that upon seeing the delightful and dainty church, Napoleon wanted to take it back to Paris in the palm of his hand. The bell tower next to the church was built in 1873.
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Maironio 8
Mass 17:30, Sun 08:30, 09:30 (English),11:00.
St. Casimir's Church
St. Casimir's Church
Named after the patron saint of Lithuania, Prince Casimir Jagiellon, and founded in 1604 by the Jesuits, St. Casimir’s is the oldest Baroque church in Vilnius. It’s long been a favourite subject of persecution and abuse, featuring among its many outrages Napoleon’s troops use of t [...]


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Didžioji 34
tel. 212 17 15
Mass: 17:30, Sun 09:00, 10:30, 12:00.
St. Catherine's Church
St. Catherine's Church
Believed by many to be one of the finest examples of so-called Vilnius Baroque architecture, with its slim twin towers managing to jostle into so many views of Old Town, it’s certainly one of the most outstanding. The church started as a small brick affair in 1618, but took on something more like its present appearance after reconstruction from 1741-73. It also had to be renovated after being damaged during WWII. The interior is breathtaking and intricate but, like grandpa's freshly polished war medals, lacks the time-forged character that a few cracks and dents might offer. Inside and out, it's like a freshly decorated cake. Recently it’s become a popular venue for various concerts, performances and even a fashion parade.
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Vilniaus 30

St. Nicholas' Church
St. Nicholas' Church
The oldest church in Lithuania, and the oldest still standing Gothic building in the city, St. Nicholas' Church was built in 1320 by German merchants before Lithuania's conversion to Christianity. During the Polish annexation Vilnius between the wars this was the only church in the city where Lithuanians could attend Mass in their own language.
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Šv.Mikalojaus 4
tel. 262 30 69
Mass: 07:30, 18:00, Sat 09:00, Sun 08:00, 10:00, 14:00.
St. Nicolas' Church
St. Nicolas' Church
The first church stood on this spot in 1514, and was in the hands of the Uniate Church from 1609 until 1827 during which time it was destroyed by fire in the 18th century and rebuilt in the late Baroque style of the day. The arrival of General Muravyov and his Russification programme saw the buildi [...]


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Didžioji 12
tel. 261 85 59
Services: Sat 17:00, Sun 09:00
Sts. Johns' Church
Sts. Johns' Church
Construction of this Gothic church began in 1387 soon after Lithuania’s conversion to Christianity. Zygmunt August gave it to the Jesuits in 1571 but it was transferred to the University following the abolition of the Jesuit Order in 1773, at which time it boasted no fewer than 22 separate al [...]


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Šv. Jono 12
tel. 268 71 55
Mass: Tue-Thu 18:00, Sun 11:00, 13:00.
Sts. Peter & Paul's Church
Sts. Peter & Paul's Church
Sts. Peter and Paul's was commissioned in 1668 by Michael Casimir Pac, Grand Hetman of the Lithuanian armies. His tombstone, inscribed hic iacet peccator (here lies the sinner) is embedded in the wall to the right of the entrance (Pac died in 1682, before the church was fully completed). Despite a rather plain façade, the Baroque interior is breathtakingly beautiful. Over 2,000 stuccoed figures crowd the vaults, representing miscellaneous mythological, biblical and battle scenes. Of particular note is the extraordinary, huge chandelier made from brass and glass beads and fashioned in the shape of a ship, made in Latvia in 1905. [...]


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Antakalnio 1
tel. 234 02 29
Mass: 07:00, 07:30, 17:00 (Polish),18:00, Sun 07:30, 08:30 (Polish),10:00, 11:30,13:00, 18:00 (Lithuanian).