The City of Heaven

On 7th December 2019, celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Church Heritage Museum opens a new permanent display entitled The City of Heaven. The Legacy of Vilnius Monasteries in the Church Heritage Museum, which presents the history and valuable artworks from 17 Vilnius monasteries: from the very first Franciscans and Dominicans who settled here in the 14th century to the Sisters of Charity who came to the capital in mid-18th century. The legacy of some convents, including the Basilians, the Sisters of Visitation and the Canons Regular of Penance, is not as well-preserved and is only illustrated by individual items, while the history of the Benedictines, Bernardines and Jesuits is attested to by dozens of exhibits. 

Must-see items include a sculpture of Jesus created in 1850 for the Šnipiškės Chapel under the initiative of the Jesuits and unexpectedly rediscovered in 2017, the painting Engagement of Blessed Virgin Mary and St Joseph, which miraculously survived in the Church of St George that used to belong to the Carmelite Order, and the great monstrance of the Bernardine Church (late 16th–early 17th century), which survived the 1655 Russian army invasion in Vilnius buried in the monastery’s vegetable garden.

Sponsors: Archdiocese of Vilnius, UAB Baltisches Haus