The Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit (; ) is a

Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

church in the

Vilnius Old Town The Old Town of Vilnius (), one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Northern Europe, as inscribed within UNESCO World Heritage Sites, has an area of 3.59 square kilometres (887 acres). It encompasses 74 quarters, with 70 streets and ...

, capital of

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, rebuilt 1749–1753 in the Vilnian Baroque style. The monastery serves as the headquarters of the

Russian Orthodox Diocese of Lithuania The Diocese of Vilnius and Lithuania (; ), also known as the Lithuanian Orthodox Church (; ), is a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church whose territory comprises the country of Lithuania, established in 1839 after the Synod of Polotsk when the ...

. It should not be confused with the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius.

History

The site of the present church used to be occupied by a wooden church, following the form a Latin cross, erected in 1638, when Vilnius was part of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

. Associated with the church was a convent, opened in 1567. After a fire gutted the wooden church in the 18th century, a stone church was erected in 1749–1753 in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style, with details of the interior in

Roccoco Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

style. It was designed by Johann Christoph Glaubitz, an architect of German descent who was noted for developing a Lithuanian school of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

, known as Vilnian Baroque.

Architecture

In the 19th century, when Vilnius was part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, several

Byzantine Revival Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Or ...

architectural elements were added to the church, but it nevertheless retained its essentially Baroque form. Indeed, the added Orthodox frescoes,

Iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

and dome enhanced its magnificence, as did the addition of deep blue and green interior decor. Unusual in an Orthodox church are the

Scagliola Scagliola (from the Italian language, Italian ''scaglia'', meaning "chips") is a type of fine plaster used in architecture and sculpture. The same term identifies the technique for producing columns, sculptures, and other architectural elements t ...

(simulated marble) sculptures. A new

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported ...

was added in 1853. In the crypt lie the remains of Saints Anthony, John, and Eustathios. A tradition of the church is to cloak them in black during Lent, in white at Christmas and in red on other major religious holidays.

Present

The Church of the Holy Spirit is the major Orthodox church in Lithuania, and it is affiliated with two Orthodox monasteries: The Monastery of the Holy Spirit and the Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene. These are the only remaining Orthodox monasteries in Lithuania.

Gallery

File:Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius2.JPG , Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit — exterior File:Orthodox-Church-Holy-Spirit Vilnius.jpg, Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit - exterior File:Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit 1, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg, Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit — interior File:Vilnius - Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit 01.jpg, Another view of the Iconostasis File:Swducha cerkiew av4.jpg, Dome, Church of Holy Spirit, Vilnius File:Wilno - relikwie meczennikow wilenskich.JPG, Reliquary of the Martyrs of Vilnius File:Anthony, John, and Eustathios in Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius-2.jpg, Another view of the relics of the martyrs

References

External links

Vilnius Tourism

inyourpocket.com
{{coord, 54, 40, 32, N, 25, 17, 27, E, region:LT_type:landmark, display=title Eastern Orthodox churches in Lithuania Churches in Vilnius 18th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Church buildings with domes 18th-century churches in Lithuania Vilnius Old Town