More guided tours to the crypts of Vilnius Cathedral!
2015 10 02
The Church Heritage Museum has good news for those who have been intending to visit the cathedral crypts but never found time for it. More guided tours for individual visitors are offered: on Wednesdays and Saturdays guided tours are held in Lithuanian, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays – in English.
The cathedral crypts are the burial place of prominent magnates and rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, cathedral bishops and assistant bishops, as well as the members of the Chapter. The exhibition presents the burial traditions, finds from excavations and the history of the building itself. Vilnius Cathedral is a symbol of Lithuania’s Christianisation. It stands on one of the earliest inhabited sites of the city. Due to unstable ground, fires and other calamities, the temple had to be rebuilt and repaired many times. The cathedral acquired its present appearance in the early 19th century (architect Laurynas Gucevičius (Wawrzyniec Gucewicz)). However, traces of earlier periods – Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque – can still be seen under the classicist surface. The history of the building is playfully represented by video projections depicting the reconstructions of the cathedral. All the crypts adapted for exhibitions (except the rulers’ mausoleum) are located under the cathedral building formed in the 15th-16th centuries.
Among the earliest and most valuable archaeological finds is a miniature silver sculpture of an angel. It is thought that this sculpture served as a leg of a former reliquary. The reliquary itself did not survive and, thus, an innovative solution was applied – a 3D hologram rises above the sculpture. It is a result of the recent renewal of the exhibition. Other highlights of the crypts – the secret royal crypt, the rulers’ mausoleum containing the remains of Barbora Radvilaitė, and a fresco acknowledged as one of the oldest examples of mural painting in Lithuania – attract the attention of the visitors.
The cathedral crypts are open for groups of visitors from ten persons on workdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm.
Guided tours for individual visitors are held in Lithuanian on Wednesdays at 4.30 pm and Saturdays at 3.30.
Guided tours for individual visitors are held in English on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 4 pm.
Advance booking is required. Tel. 860012080, 85 269 7800 email: katedrospozemiai@bpmuziejus.lt
Visitors can acquire a combined ticket to the Church Heritage Museum, the crypts and the bell tower of Vilnius Cathedral. A ticket is valid for a week.
The Church Heritage Museum has good news for those who have been intending to visit the cathedral crypts but never found time for it. More guided tours for individual visitors are offered: on Wednesdays and Saturdays guided tours are held in Lithuanian, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays – in English.The cathedral crypts are the burial place of prominent magnates and rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, cathedral bishops and assistant bishops, as well as the members of the Chapter. The exhibition presents the burial traditions, finds from excavations and the history of the building itself. Vilnius Cathedral is a symbol of Lithuania’s Christianisation. It stands on one of the earliest inhabited sites of the city. Due to unstable ground, fires and other calamities, the temple had to be rebuilt and repaired many times. The cathedral acquired its present appearance in the early 19th century (architect Laurynas Gucevičius (Wawrzyniec Gucewicz)). However, traces of earlier periods – Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque – can still be seen under the classicist surface. The history of the building is playfully represented by video projections depicting the reconstructions of the cathedral. All the crypts adapted for exhibitions (except the rulers’ mausoleum) are located under the cathedral building formed in the 15th-16th centuries.
Among the earliest and most valuable archaeological finds is a miniature silver sculpture of an angel. It is thought that this sculpture served as a leg of a former reliquary. The reliquary itself did not survive and, thus, an innovative solution was applied – a 3D hologram rises above the sculpture. It is a result of the recent renewal of the exhibition. Other highlights of the crypts – the secret royal crypt, the rulers’ mausoleum containing the remains of Barbora Radvilaitė, and a fresco acknowledged as one of the oldest examples of mural painting in Lithuania – attract the attention of the visitors.
The cathedral crypts are open for groups of visitors from ten persons on workdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm.
Guided tours for individual visitors are held in Lithuanian on Wednesdays at 4.30 pm and Saturdays at 3.30.
Guided tours for individual visitors are held in English on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 4 pm.
Advance booking is required. Tel. 860012080, 85 269 7800 email: katedrospozemiai@bpmuziejus.lt
Visitors can acquire a combined ticket to the Church Heritage Museum, the crypts and the bell tower of Vilnius Cathedral. A ticket is valid for a week.
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