Past exhibitions

The exhibition presents the liturgical books of the Mass of the traditional Christian denominations of Lithuania. For the first time, the Museum of Church Heritage is exhibiting together the printed and manuscript books of Eastern Rite Christians (Orthodox, Old Believers, Unitarians) and Western Rite Christians (Roman Catholics, Evangelical Lutherans, Evangelical Reformed).

Pictures representing the Way of the Cross from the Seda church are a rare surviving example of rural painting, which attract the viewers by their sincerity, original compositions and a great many curious details. The author of the paintings is unknown, but it is presumed that it might have been Kazys Varnelis (1871–1945), the father of the remarkable American Lithuanian artist Kazys Varnelis (1917–2010). According to another oral tradition, the Way of the Cross was created by a woman who lived in Seda.

The exhibition presents the findings of archaeological excavations carried out in the territory of the Bernardine Monastery in 1993-2008. The exhibition includes authentic household and liturgical objects and fragments used by the monks, as well as other finds. The exhibits reveal the life and routine of the Bernardines, allow us to imagine their daily routine and celebrations, and recall the festive and tragic events that surrounded St Michael the Archangel's Church, the monastery and its inhabitants.

Part of the collection of the Vilnius Archdiocese was presented for the public at the inaugural exhibition of the Church Heritage Museum opened at the National Museum of Lithuania (New Arsenal, Arsenalo St. 1, Vilnius) on March 9. The bulk of the collection consists of liturgical implements and art works, which for certain reasons are no longer used in liturgy but are important in the historical and aesthetic respect. The exhibition was renewed on 22 May 2007.