We stayed in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius for three nights and began with a three-hour guided city tour to orientate and help our later explorations.
Of the three Baltic countries we visited, Lithuania was the most religious with around 75% of its population being Catholic. It was therefore no surprise that religion featured heavily, and churches abounded. Our hotel was near the Gates of Dawn Chapel, one of the most holy places in Lithuania and we climbed the steps leading to the Renaissance painting of the Virgin Mary, said to have miraculous powers.
We visited, or passed, several churches:
The Church and Monastery of the Holy Trinity with its exterior fresco of Saints Anthony, John, and Eustathios, known as the ‘Martyrs of Vilnius’ as they refused to renounce their Orthodox Christian faith under persecution by the pagan Grand Duke of Lithuania.
In the nearby, pink-painted Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit was the crypt of the Martyrs.
At the beautiful Church of Saint Nicholas, one of the oldest in the country, we heard the story of how Saint Nicholas became Santa Claus.
The Orthodox Cathedral of the Theotokos or Dormition Cathedral was stunningly white and had served three religions: Orthodox, Protestant, and later Uniate (Greek Catholic), before being restored to Orthodoxy in the 19th century.
Saint Bartholomew’s tiny church and beautiful gardens is the only one in the city where Mass is held in the Belarusian language.
Two companion churches were the red-brick, gothic Saint Anne’s church, which resembled St Pancras station, and the nearby Church of Saint Francis and Saint Bernard with its unusual and richly carved confessionals.
The Vilnius Cathedral, officially the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Ladislaus of Vilnius, was the main Catholic cathedral. Unfortunately, its large free standing bell tower was covered in scaffolding.
Republic of Užupis
Away from religion, we visited Užupis, a whimsical ‘republic’ who declared ‘independence’ on 1 April 1997 (April Fools Day). Formerly a run-down district, it is now the artistic and bohemian heart of the city and outdoor sculptures and artists’ workshops abounded. As well as selling souvenirs, ‘Border Control’ offered a passport stamp featuring the logo of a handprint with a hole in the middle of the palm. Whilst I was slightly nervous about the legality of having my official passport stamped, when I left the country, the exit stamp was placed on the same page without comment. Užupis has its own constitution inscribed on mirrored plaques in multiple languages on Paupio Street. Two of my favourite articles were: A dog has the right to be a dog, and Everyone has the right to die, but this is not an obligation. The bronze statue, the Angel of Užupis, stood on a tall plinth in the main square and was surrounded by restaurants with outdoor terraces.
The Hill of Three Crosses
To counter the effect of too many unhealthy beer snacks, we hiked up the Hill of Three Crosses: literally three stark white concrete crosses standing together. This involved 250 wooden steps followed by a slope, and just as we thought we’d reached the top, another 65. The views over the city were good, but despite an etched map, it was still hard to pick out the notable sights due to the compact volume of buildings and churches.
Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
To understand the impact of the Soviet Union’s communist regime, we headed for the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, housed in a building the KGB operated from for almost 50 years.
In the basement prison we wandered through the arrival cells, the photography and fingerprinting area and body search room. As well as regular cells we saw solitary confinement cells for prisoners who disobeyed the strict regime; a padded cell which muffled screams from torture; and water cells where prisoners had to stand in iced water.
The most sombre was the Execution Chamber, were a film showed how prisoners were shot from behind before being bundled down a chute into a waiting van. The blood was swilled, and the next prisoner was shot.
Vilnius is a compact city, and we simply enjoyed wandering the cobbled streets, where flat shoes are recommended.
