Originally dating back to the middle of the 14th century, this slightly unusual-looking church which also functions as the city’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral and that as such is often referred to as the Cathedral of the Theotokos in Vilnius owes much of its partial Neo-Byzantine design to reconstruction work completed in 1522. In 1808, soon after the start of tsarist rule in Vilnius, the building fell into the hands of Vilnius University who divided it into two floors, constructing a library, classrooms and dissection rooms for anatomy classes inside. In 1842 soldiers moved in as the church acted as a barracks before it took on several other uses before General Muravyov and his brother had it restored to its current Georgian appearance and used as a house of worship towards the end of the 1860s.
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Church of the Holy Mother of God [Skaisčiausios Dievo Motinos Cerkvė]
Originally dating back to the middle of the 14th century, this slightly unusual-looking church which also functions as the city’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral and that as such is often referred to as the Cathedral of the Theotokos in Vilnius owes much of its partial Neo-Byzantine design to reconstruction work completed in 1522. In 1808, soon after the start of tsarist rule in Vilnius, the building fell into the hands of Vilnius University who divided it into two floors, constructing a library, classrooms and dissection rooms for anatomy classes inside. In 1842 soldiers moved in as the church acted as a barracks before it took on several other uses before General Muravyov and his brother had it restored to its current Georgian appearance and used as a house of worship towards the end of the 1860s.
