Vilnius Dungeons
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The Vilnius Dungeons (Lithuanian: Vilniaus požemiai) are medieval dungeons under parts of the downtown of Vilnius. Their real size and extent, as well as purpose and age, are arguable; there are some urban legends and various theories about these dungeons. In the dungeons, there are about 4000 dead bodies. Due to the dry climate inside, many of them are naturally mummified, some others are just skeletons.
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[edit] Size
The true size of the dungeons is unknown. Some tend to believe that the known part of the dungeons is only a part of whole system, and that there is a second level of them, stairs to which are bricked off. Some claim that these dungeons are below whole of the downtown Vilnius. The known part of the dungeons is under the districts near Domininkonų and Vilniaus streets. The only known entrance to the dungeons is from Church of the Holy Spirit, it is believed though that there might be connections of the dungeons with cellars of other buildings, such as a former monastery not far away.
[edit] Purpose
The purpose of the dungeons is also disputed. There are various claims, starting from romantic stories that they were used by certain legendary lovers of Great Duchy of Lithuania (Barbora Radvilaitė and Žygimantas Augustas) to meet each other secretly, through some horror stories to the more realistic ones. The origin of the dead bodies is also not known. During the Soviet times there was a version that those were dead bodies of the victims of inquisition; there were even plans to create an inquisition museum in the dungeons. However such theories were most probably related to the general Soviet stance seeking to discredit religion and they were never proved; there is no evidence of major inquisition actions in Lithuania either. Also, previously it was thought sometimes that these were dead bodies of people who died of plague in Vilnius; that is one of reasons of the reluctance to investigate dungeons. One test however did not find plague in the dead bodies. There is also a theory that this might have been a dungeon built by a nearby hospital, which probably was in the monastery, to put the people who died there. One of the things that add to the mystery is finding the dead bodies in various unusual poses, such as mummified woman holding a mummified child. The exact number of bodies is also unknown, as many cripts are sealed and bricked off.
[edit] Uncovering
First uncovering and expeditions to the abandoned dungeons were organised in the interwar period by students of the Vilnius University. Electricity was installed in parts of dungeons back then, too. The students, however, were working against all archeological practice and therefore done great damage to the dungeons, also desecrated dead bodies. They destroyed some inner walls and unsealed some crypts by destroying walls to them. Other dubious practices included "sorting" of bones of dead bodies, such as putting all skulls on shelves, purposely built near walls. Students' investigations stopped however when a crypt was found in which certain evidence made people believe that in that crypt there were plague victims; then the dungeons were sealed off. There was limited research later without uncovering new crypts.
[edit] Current situation
The dungeons are sealed off for public mostly, although they are a dream for Lithuanian diggers. Once a year there is a procession from the Church of the Holy Spirit, out of which there is the only entrance to the dungeons, led by the local priest. They go around the dungeons and bless all the dead buried there.
