From Riga to Vilnius, Lithuania by coach – no train service available!
Through fertile countryside.
First stop on our walking tour – Saint Catherine church (1743) is a Baroque pearl. Closed and desecrated by the Soviets it was never reopened and currently serves as a concert hall.
Saint Casimir Jesuit church completed in 1616 is early baroque. Its large dome is well visible from the City Hall (Rotušes) square…
Inside the Church of St Casimir…
One of the gates into the old town of Vilnius.
The late Baroque gates to the Basilian Monastery were constructed in 1761…
The gates open onto a large courtyard…
A small gate leads to the Russian Orthodox church of Holy Spirit. Here is the only Russian Orthodox monastery in Lithuania.
In total, there are 28 churches in Vilnius Old Town elderate (one church per every 700 inhabitants)…
The Gates of Dawn is one of the most visited shrines in Vilnius due to the 17th century painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, in the Chapel.
An art-shot!
Of the 28 churches, 21 are Roman Catholic and 4 are Russian Orthodox. Lutheran, Reformed and Eastern Rite Catholic communities have one church each. All non-catholic churches are working, but 6 of the Catholic churches have not yet reopened after the Soviet occupation.
Church Of The Sacred Heart Of Jesus – one of the baroque churches closed and not re-opened.
On the island on the River Vilnelé where a group of artists set up their own Republic of Uzupis…
Ducks enjoying the cool waters of the River Vilnelé.
Monument in the central square of Uzupis.
Pump in the central square – known to occasionally pump free beer on their National Day!
Their Constitution is proudly displayed in several languages…
An amusing plaque depicting a drunken citizen of Uzupis.
Saint Ann church (1500) is a gothic masterpiece. Its extremely elaborate facade is small by medieval church standards…
… and its gothic belfry.
Church of St. Michael the Archangel and the Bernadine Monastery – a 17th century renaissance church with two baroque towers. The bell tower was added in the first quarter of the 18th century.
The walking tour continues!
Wide boulevards were created by the Germans and Soviets by demolishing entire intermediate streets. This shows where ruthless demolition took place.
The tour concludes at the Vilnius Cathedral. Its orderly white Neo-Classical interior dating to 1801 makes it hard to believe that this is the earliest established church in Vilnius. The bottom half of Cathedral belfry is, in fact, a former defensive tower of the Vilnius lower castle.
We stroll back to our hotel through the cobbled streets of Vilnius…
… as a hot air balloon ascends over the city.
