Church of St. Peter and St. Paul - Vilnius, Lithuania
N 54° 41.639 E 025° 18.350
35U E 390808 N 6062056
The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was constructed from 1668–1701 in the Baroque architectural style.
Waymark Code: WMPGGP
Location: Lithuania
Date Posted: 08/28/2015
Views: 3
A historical marker at the church provides text in Lithuanian and English. The English text reads:
"A pearl of Lithuanian Baroque, this is the most splendid example of the style. It was built during 1668-1674, and the interior took another 30 years. The founder of the church, Grand Hetman M. K. Pacas, encapsulated himself in Latin on the facade: Regina Pacis funda nos in pace (Queen of Peace, strengthen us in peace). The coat of arms of the Pacas family is above the entrance. The interior was decorated by the Italians P. Perti and G. M. Galli, who created a harmonious synthesis of architecture, sculpture and art: about 2,000 figures are arranged according to the principle of the world as a theatre. Behind the altar is a picture of Saints Peter and Paul by the famous artist P. Smuglevicius."
The following additional information is from Wikipedia (
visit link) :
"St. Peter and St. Paul's Church (Lithuanian: Šv. apaštalu Petro ir Povilo bažnycia, Polish: Kosciól sw. Piotra i Pawla na Antokolu) is a Roman Catholic church located in the Antakalnis neighbourhood of Vilnius, Lithuania. It is the centerpiece of a former monastery complex of the Canons Regular of the Lateran. Its interior has masterful compositions of some 2,000 stucco figures by Giovanni Pietro Perti and ornamentation by Giovanni Maria Galli and is unique in Europe. The church is considered a masterpiece of Lithuanian Baroque.
Architecture
Exterior
The church is located on a small hill near the Neris River and the former main road to Nemencine. It is part of a monastery complex that occupies approximately 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres). The churchyard is surrounded by a thick 4–5 m (13–16 ft) high brick wall that has four small octagonal chapels. The churchyard used to have a small cemetery, but it was demolished in the 19th century. The church is a 17th-century basilica with a traditional cross floor plan and a dome with a lantern allowing extra light into its white interior. However, the dome is lowered and is visible only from a distance. The exterior was copied from the parish church of Tarlów, built in 1645–55 and most likely designed by the same architect Jan Zaor. The facade is of heavy proportions. It is divided by a prominent balcony, freestanding columns (used for the first time in Lithuanian ecclesiastical architecture), windows, and cornices. The central facade is framed by two bell towers that are circular at the bottom and octagonal at the top. Two brass bells, 60 cm (24 in) and 37 cm (15 in) in height, survive from 1668.
The double broken pediment has a relief of Mary standing on a cannon, flags, and other military attributes. Below the relief, Latin inscription reads REGINA PACIS FUNDA NOS IN PACE (Queen of Peace, protect us in peace) and reflects the intentions of the founder Pac and is a word play on his last name. Further below is the main portal. Surrounded by two puttos holding papal tiara (symbol of Saint Peter) and a sword (symbol of Saint Paul), there is a large cartouche with Pac's coat of arms Gosdawa. Two terracotta sculptures depicting Saint Augustine (patron saint of Canons Regular of the Lateran) and Stanislaw Kazimierczyk (Polish member of Canons Regular) were created in 1674. They measure 2.05 metres (6 ft 9 in) in height. There were many more sculptures on the front and back of the church, but they did not survive. The facade was also decorated with a 172 cm × 237 cm (68 in × 93 in) painting depicting Virgin of Mercy protecting people from the plague of 1710 in Vilnius. Imagery of Mary holding broken arrows of god's wrath was borrowed from the painting of Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy that hangs inside the church. Created in 1761, it was restored at least five times and lost its original features. After the last restoration in 2000, it was moved inside the church."