Vilnius Cathedral

The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius (Lithuanian: Vilniaus Šv. Stanislovo ir Šv. Vladislovo arkikatedra bazilika) is the Roman Catholic mother church of Lithuania.  

The coronations of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania took place within its confines. Many famous people from Lithuanian and Polish history are buried there During the Soviet period the cathedral was converted into a warehouse. Masses were celebrated again starting in 1988, although the cathedral was still officially called ‘The Gallery of Images’ at that time. In 1989, its status as a cathedral was restored. 

It is believed that in pre-Christian times, the Baltic pagan god Perkūnas was worshiped at the site of the cathedral. It has also been postulated that the Lithuanian King Mindaugas ordered the construction of the original cathedral in 1251 after his conversion to Christianity and appointment of a bishop to Lithuania. Remains of the archaic quadratic church with three naves and massive buttresses have been discovered underneath the current structure in the late 20th century. After Mindaugas’s death in 1263, the first cathedral again became a place of pagan worship. In 1387, the year in which Lithuania was officially converted to Christianity, construction began on a second Gothic Cathedral with five chapels. After several burnings down and restorations, the building substantially reached its current form in works were completed in 1783 (exterior) and 1801 (interior), according to the neoclassical design of Laurynas Gucevičius

The Cathedral and the belfry were thoroughly renovated from 2006 to 2008. The facades were covered with fresh multicolor paintwork, greatly enhancing the external appearance of the buildings. It was the first renovation since the restoration of Lithuania’s independence in 1990.

 This article incorporates text from the English Wikipedia.