Lithuania

I just returned from a trip to St. Petersburg and the Baltics.  I have wanted to return to St. Petersburg for quite some time because I am fascinated by the history, architecture, and culture but I ended up being completely enchanted by the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia as well.  I loved the cobblestone streets of the medieval Old Town Squares and I was fascinated by the turbulent history of countries which fought so fiercely for their independence.  I began my trip touring the city of Vilnius and learned that Lithuania was the first republic to declare independence from the former U.S.S.R and suffered the most bloodshed (Lithuanians are unabashedly and justifiably proud of this). Here are a few highlights from the city tour.

St. Peter and St. Paul's Church.  After traveling to Europe for many years, I am a veteran of churches but when I walked through doors of this church I was totally surprised by the beautiful stucco ornaments on just about every surface.  It is a Baroque masterpiece and it exceeded all of my expectations (a common theme on this trip.)

Isn't it amazing!  My favorite was the boat-shaped chandelier (to commemorate the fact that St. Peter was a fisherman).  Much of the stucco mouldings were made using egg whites to bind them together so merchants were taxed in eggs to enter the medieval city to trade!

St. Anne's Church in the Old Town.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a beautiful example of Gothic architecture.

Like most cities in Europe, Vilnius was enclosed by defensive fortifications.  Today all that remains of the nine city gates is the Gate of Dawn.  Here is the southern view (L) and northern view (R).  There is a chapel inside which contains the icon of The Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy, an important symbol of Vilnius.  Many of the gates contained religious artifacts to guard the city from attack and to bless travelers.

Church of the Holy Spirit.  This is the first Russian Orthodox church I visited on this trip and it was incredibly ornate!

In the 1300s, this area was ruled by the pagan Grand Duke of Lithuania, Algiras.  He was married to an Orthodox Christian princess, Maria of Vitebsk.  Monks were only allowed to minister to the religious needs of the princess and not to openly practice their faith.  Anthony, John, and Eustathios were monks arrested for preaching in public and eventually tortured and executed for refusing to eat meat during an Orthodox fasting period.  When they were canonized, their bodies were placed in a glass reliquary near the main altar.  They are said to be incorruptible.  Everything I learned on this trip was so interesting!

Vilnius Town Hall, a great example of Neoclassical architecture.

The Presidential Palace.  It was originally built as a palace for the Bishop of Lithuania in the 14th century and once served as Napoleon's headquarters during his ill-fated invasion of Russia.  Now it serves as the office of the President of Lithuania.  The current president is a woman who is extremely popular.  The presidential coat of arms was flying above the palace which meant that she was in residence while we were there.

House of the Signatories. The Act of Independence of Lithuania was signed here on February 16, 1918 and speeches are made from the balcony every year on that day.

Cathedral Square, which was the center of life during medieval times.  Vilnius Cathedral is another beautiful Neoclassical building and the Bell Tower, which is separate from the cathedral, is believed to be a remnant of the old city wall.  The lower portion of the tower dates back to the 13th century.  In the evening I returned to the cathedral to attend mass.  It was all in Lithuanian but it was incredibly beautiful!

Gediminas' Tower.  This is all that remains of the Upper Castle began by Grand Duke Gediminas in the 15th century and completed by Grand Duke Vytautus (more about him coming up).

I really love castles so I was excited to take an afternoon trip to visit Trakai Castle in the middle of Lake Galve.  It is literally in the middle of the lake and you reach it by crossing two bridges.

Outer towers.

Moat and drawbridge.

The Ducal Palace.

The inner courtyard of the palace (the guide said this courtyard is used in a lot of period movies).

Inside the Ducal palace.  The castle was begun by Grand Duke Kestutis in the 14th century and, after it was besieged by the Teutonic Knights, it was finished by his son Grand Duke Vytautus (considered the greatest ruler in medieval Lithuania).  Vytautus converted to Christianity and received the right to be crowned King of Lithuania by the Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund, but died in Trakai Castle while waiting for the crown to be transported from Poland.  I have realized that I don't know much about the history of medieval Eastern Europe!  The castle was all but destroyed by the seven years war with Russia in the 17th century but was reconstructed after World War II.

On the way to Latvia we stopped at the Hill of Crosses near the city of Siauliai.  When Lithuania became part of the Russian empire in 1795, there were two unsuccessful rebellions.  After these uprisings, many families couldn't find the bodies of their loved ones and began to place symbolic crosses on the hill of a defensive fort.  The hill gained significance once again when Soviet forces invaded Lithuania.  One in three families had loved ones deported to Siberia and crosses were placed here in remembrance of them.  The Soviets tried to bulldoze the hill three times but it was always reestablished.  Today people come from around the world to place crosses (you can buy them outside the gates) and mine is one of the hundreds of thousands there.  It was quite a sight to see!