Church of Vytautas the Great

Church in the city panorama

Vytautas' the Great Church of the Accession of The Holy Virgin Mary (Lithuanian: Vytauto Didžiojo bažnyčia) is a Roman Catholic church in Kaunas, Lithuania, and is one of the oldest churches in the city. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Location Ethnographic region AukÅ¡taitija County Kaunas County Municipality Kaunas city municipality Coordinates Number of elderates 11 General Information Capital of Kaunas County Kaunas city municipality Kaunas district municipality Population 361,274 in 2005 (2nd) First mentioned 1361 Granted city rights 1408 Kaunas ( (help· info), approximate English transcription [ˈkəʊ.n...

History

The church was built in the right bank of the Neman River around 1400 for Franciscan monks and foreign merchants. It was ordered and funded by Vytautas the Great as a commendation to the Blessed Virgin Mary for saving his life after a major defeat in the Battle of the Vorskla River. The Neman (Belarusian: ; Lithuanian: ; Russian: ; Polish: ; German: ) is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Baltic Sea near KlaipÄ—da. ... See also: 1390s in architecture, other events of 1400s, 1410s in architecture and the architecture timeline. ... The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... Vytautas the Great, 17th century painting Trakai Island Castle Vytautas the Great (Lithuanian:  ; Belarusian: ; Polish: ; Ruthenian: Vitovt; German: ; Latin: Alexander Vitoldus; ca. ... King Charlemagne receiving the Oath of Fidelity and Homage from one of his great Feudatories or High Barons. ... Our Lady redirects here. ... The Battle of the Vorskla River was one of the greatest and bloodiest in the medieval history of Eastern Europe. ...

Being quite close to the river the church has many times suffered from spring floods. In 1812 it was burned by French troops. The Franciscan monastery was closed by Russian administration after the November Uprising. In 1845 the Catholic church was closed and later it was rebuilt and reopened as an and Orthodox church. Since 1903 it served as military barracks. In 1915 Germans organised a warehouse here. The building, returned to the Catholic Church in 1919 underwent major renovation works in 1931-1938 and again in 1978-1982. Monastery of St. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A barracks housing conscripts of Norrbottens regemente in Boden, Sweden. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ...

Architecture

The church was constructed in Gothic style and is an example of the Lithuanian Brick Gothic architecture. The church layout of the Latin cross is unique in the Lithuanian Gothic. After the ground level around the church has been raised significantly, the façades became lower and the windows were shortened, as well as the side portals were removed^[1]. The bell tower was added later and probably has been used to guide ships navigating Neman River. Königsberg Cathedral Gothic architecture is a style of architecture, particularly associated with cathedrals and other churches, which flourished in Europe during the high and late medieval period. ... Holstentor in Lübeck - background left , right St. ... The traditional form of the Christian cross, known as the Latin cross The Christian cross is a familiar religious symbol of most Christianity. ... A tower containing one or more bells, typically part of a church, is a bell tower; attached to a city hall or other civil building, it is usually named belfry; the occasional free standing one may be referred to by its Italian name, campanile. ...

Lithuanian writer Jouzas Tumas-Vaižgantas (1869-1933) is buried in the crypt of the church.

References

External links

• Church's website
• Image gallery from the church's website

Coordinates: 54.8950° N 23.8865° E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...