Church of St. Catherine, Vilnius

Church of St. Catherine
Church of St. Catherine
Lithuanian: Šv. Kotrynos bažnyčia
	Main façade of St. Catherine's in 2023
	Click on the map for a fullscreen view
	54°40′54.40″N 25°16′52.40″E / 54.6817778°N 25.2812222°E
Location	Vilnius
Country	Lithuania
Denomination	Catholic
Tradition	Latin Church
Religious order	Order of Saint Benedict
Website	www.kazimiero.lt
History
Founder(s)	Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (Jonas Karolis Chodkevičius)
Dedication	Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Johann Christoph Glaubitz (reconstruction 1741–1753)
Architectural type	Conventual church
Style	Baroque
Years built	1618–1625
Specifications
Materials	plastered masonry
Administration
Archdiocese	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vilnius
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Vilnius Old Town
Type	Cultural
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iv)
Designated	1994
Reference no.	541
UNESCO region	Europe

The Church of St. Catherine (Lithuanian: Šv. Kotrynos bažnyčia, Polish: Kościół Św. Katarzyny) is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius' Old Town.^[2]^[3]^[4] It was founded by the Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Voivode of Vilnius Jan Karol Chodkiewicz in 1618.^[1]

Architecture

The church is a Baroque-style single-nave church with a Baroque chapel of the Divine Providence on the southwest corner. The main façade, towers and pediments have Rococo ornamentation. Inside there are 9 late Baroque style altars with sculptural Rococo decoration, from the 18th century, a pulpit and a baptistery with Baroque and Rococo sculptures and high reliefs, and a memorial plaque to J. and E. Valavičius (1769).

History

In 1618, the Grand Hetman of Lithuania Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (Jonas Karolis Chodkevičius) started the construction of a small church for the Benedictine nuns in Vilnius. Consecrated in 1632. In the 1660s, during the war with Russia, the church was burnt down, rebuilt in 1670-94 (a new main facade with lower towers) and consecrated in 1703. However, the Great Fire of Vilnius in 1737 did not spare the Benedictine church and monastery. After the fire, the reconstruction of the church was led by the architect Johann Christoph Glaubitz, who was contracted by the mother superior of the monastery, Joana Sibilė Reitenovaitė. He designed the church's current appearance: the towers were raised (up to 5 storeys), ornate pediments were built, vaulted ceiling was redone, and the chapel was rebuilt. 1752-53 The altar and the chapel were decorated by the artists J. Herdegen, J. Woszczyński, John and Joseph Hedel. In 1759, 15 paintings by Szymon Czechowicz were brought from Kraków to St Catherine's Church and the Benedictine monastery (surviving paintings are housed in the Lithuanian National Museum of Art). The church was severely damaged in 1812 during the French invasion of Russia and later during World War II and many valuable works of art were lost. In 1945, the remaining nuns were deported by the Soviet authorities and a warehouse was set up in the church, which later was transferred to the Vilnius Art Museum. After Lithuania regained independence the church has been under restoration and adapted for cultural activities and since 2002 it was returned to the Curia of the Vilnius Archdiocese.^[5]