Vilnius Cathedral Founded on ancient pagan grounds dedicated to Perkunas, the god of thunder, the original church was built by Mindaugas the Great, the first Lithuanian king to convert to Christianity. Of interest is St. Casimir`s chapel, early Baroque (1623-1636), under which lie the mausoleums of Alexander Jagiellon, the only Grand Duke known to be buried in Vilnius; the heart of Vladislav IV; and the wives of two Grand Dukes, including the beloved Barbora Radvilaite. The bodies had been hidden under the Cathedral in the 17th century and were only rediscovered in the late 1980s. The free-standing bell tower is packed with old bells which were brought from country churches to Vilnius in 1967. Plans to make them a carillon failed. On July 6, 1998, it was announced that treasures dating back to the 16th century had been found hidden in the walls of the Cathedral. The treasure consisting of about 270 jewel-encrusted gold and silver objects, mostly religious; it is the largest such treasure in Lithuania and is considered to be worth at least US$10million. First discovered on March 27, 1985 when workers installing an air-conditioning unit stumbled across it, the gold was kept hidden for the last thirteen years for fear that the Soviets would take it away. Archaelogists agree that the treasure was probably hidden in 1655 when Russian soldiers invaded Vilnius.

Home Lithuania Vilnius Must see Author: Valdas from Lithuania Date: 2003-09-02 Rating: 9.67 (3 total rates) Views: 1410