St. Anne's Church, Vilnius

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Façade of Saint Anne's

Saint Anne's church at night

Rectangular elements

St. Anne's Church (Lithuanian: Šv. Onos bažnyčia) is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius' Old Town, on the right bank of the Vilnia River. It is a prominent example of both Flamboyant Gothic and Brick Gothic styles. St. Anne's is among the features of Vilnius Old Town that enabled the district to be included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.^[1]

1 History
2 Architecture
3 Interesting facts
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The first church at this site, thought to be wooden, was built for Anna, the second wife of Vytautas the Great. Originally initially intended for the use of Catholic Germans and other visting Catholics, it was destoyed by a fire in 1419. The present brick church was constructed on the initiative of King Alexander^[2] in 1495 - 1500, and also suffered severe fire damage. The reconstruction of the church, funded by Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł and Jerzy Radziwiłł, was carried out in 1582. The exterior of the church has remained almost unchanged since then.

The design of the church building is attributed to either Michael Enkinger, the architect of a church of the same name in Warsaw, or to Benedikt Rejt. However, neither of the attributions is attested by written sources. St. Anne's Church is part of an ensemble, comprised of the much larger Gothic Church of St. Francis and Bernadine, as well as a monastery.

The church was renovated in 1902-1909 and again in 1960-1970.

[edit] Architecture

A novel aproach to bricks as a construction material was employed in the church's construction. ^[3] The main façade, designed in the Flamboyant Gothic style, is its most striking feature. Traditional Gothic elements and shapes were used in unique ways; Gothic arches are framed by rectangular elements dominating a symmetrical and proportionate façade, creating an impression of dynamism.

The church has one nave and two towers. It was built using 33 different kinds of red clay bricks. The interior is decorated in the Baroque style, as is its altar. The imitative neo-Gothic bell tower, constructed in the 1870s, stands nearby.

[edit] Interesting facts

There is a well-known legend that Emperor Napoleon, after seeing the church during the course of the Franco-Russian War in 1812, expressed a wish to carry the church home with him to Paris 'in the palm of his hand'. In reality, however, he gave it to his cavalry instead.
On August 23, 1987 the Lithuanian Freedom League held a rally in a square near the church to protest the ongoing Soviet occupation, which was broken up by the militia.^[4]
According to Lithuanian architect and art researcher Vladas Drėma, patterns from the Pillars of Gediminas are echoed in the church's façade.

[edit] References

^ UNESCO World Heritage: Lithuanian masterpieces. Vilnius Historic Center
^ http://www.ldm.lt/TDM/Aleksandro_paroda.htm
^ Lietuvos architektūros istorija. I dalis. Jonas Minkevičius. Vilnius Mokslas 1988 p. 148
^ http://www.lituanus.org/1989/89_1_04.htm Lituanus Quarterly, Spring 1989