Vilnius - Dominikonų bažnyčia

Vilnius is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of about 600.000. Before WWII, Vilnius was one of the largest Jewish centers in Europe which led to the nickname "the Jerusalem of the North".

The city was first mentioned in written sources as Vilna in 1323 as the capital city of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, built a wooden castle on a hill in the city. The city became more widely known after he wrote a circular letter of invitation to Germans and Jews to the principal Hansa towns in 1325, offering free access into his domains to men of every order and profession. At this time Vilnius was facing raids of the Teutonic Order, although they never captured the castle, large portions of the town were burned down between 1365 and 1383. English king Henry IV spent the full year of 1390 supporting the unsuccessful siege of Vilnius by Teutonic Knights with his 300 fellow knights.

Between 1503 and 1522, the city was surrounded by a city wall to protect it from Crimean Tatar attacks. The city reached the peak of its development during the reign of Sigismund II. Augustus, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, settled here in 1544. After the foundation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, the city experienced a further boom, as Stephen Báthory, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, founded the Jesuit College of Vilnius (= Vilnius University) in 1579. The university soon developed into one of the most important scientific and cultural centers in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The first (wooden) church is believed to have been built around 1323. In 1408, a Gothic church was built, which was enlarged in 1441. On the initiative of Grand Duke Alexander of Lithuania, a brick church was built in 1501 and given to the nearby Dominican monastery.

In 1610 and 1655 the church and the monastery were burnt down. Rebuilding and reconstruction were done in 1679-1688. After the fires of 1726, 1737, 1748, and 1749, only the walls of the monastery and the church remained. The church was rebuilt and enlarged by 1770, with 2 towers, a dome, choir, altars, and a portal. The monastery was rebuilt by 1776.

In 1844 tsarist authorities closed the monastery down and the church became a parish church. The monastery building was used as a residential building and a prison. Since the church served the Polish minority in Lithuania until today, it remained open all the time during the Soviet occupation. Only Polish-language masses are celebrated in the church, which is cared for by the Dominicans