Church of St. Theresa, Vilnius

Church of St. Theresa (Lithuanian: Šv. Teresės bažnyčia, Polish: Kościół św. Teresy) is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius' Old Town, close to the Gate of Dawn. It was completed in 1650, and it is dedicated to Teresa of Ávila. The church is of Baroque, Rococo, Classicism architectural styles and is the oldest Baroque monument without a tower in the current territory of Lithuania. History In 1626, the Discalced Carmelites, who arrived to Vilnius, Lithuania from Lublin, Poland, with the support of the Burgomaster of Vilnius, Ignatius Dubavičius, and his brother Stephen, began the construction of a monastery near the Gate of Dawn. Initially, only small buildings were erected, but these were expanded and enlarged between 1633 and 1654. During that period, the buildings had high gable roofs, and the interior spaces were covered with cross or barrel vaults. Following successive expansions the monastery had several inner courtyards. In 1627, a wooden church was built within the complex, and in 1644 the monastery’s farm buildings were added. The monastery was established in a part of the city known as civitas Ruthenica, inhabited mainly by Ruthenians, opposite the Uniate Basilian monastery. Beyond the Wall of Vilnius a brickworks of the Discalced Carmelites functioned in the 17th century. In 1633, the Discalced Carmelites monks received financial support from the Pac family. With funding provided by the Lithuanian Vice-chancellor Stefan Pac a new masonry Church of St. Theresa was built and its façade has remained largely unchanged to the present day. The church was designed and supervised by the architect of the Radziwiłł family's manor, John Ulrich. The main façade was designed by the Swiss–Italian architect and sculptor Costante Tencalla and was built of marble, granite, and sandstone. The construction was completed in 1650, and in 1652 (according to other sources in 1654) it was consecrated by the Bishop of Vilnius, Jerzy Tyszkiewicz. St. Theresa’s Church is the oldest surviving Baroque monument without a tower within the present-day territory of Lithuania (e.g. older Corpus Christi Church in Nyasvizh, which for centuries was a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, is now in Belarus). In 1760, the church burned down, but was soon rebuilt according to the design of architect Johann Christoph Glaubitz. After the fire, the arched roof was bricked up and a bell tower was built. In 1763–1765, the interior of the church was painted by the Vilnius artist Maciej Słuszczański, the space was decorated with sculptures and frescos in the Rococo style. Nine altars have survived from this period. In 1783, the mausoleum chapel of the Lord Jesus (also called the Pociej Family Chapel) with a vaulted dome was built with the funds of the Rahachow starosta Michał Pociej and under it the burial crypt of the Pociej family was constructed. During the French invasion of Russia the Grande Armée in 1812 devastated the interior of the church. Following the war, restoration works were undertaken in 1820 and continued in subsequent years. The damaged altars and interior decorations were repaired and restored. However, in 1844, the tsarist authorities closed the monastery and expelled the Discalced Carmelites. The church was subsequently converted into a parish church, and an independent parish was established alongside it. The former monastery buildings were transformed into military barracks and later adapted for various civilian purposes. In order to preserve the condition and artistic value of the building, renovation works were carried out in the second half of the 19th century. In 1857 and 1895, the church was partially restored, and both its façade and interior elements were repaired. These interventions aimed not only to eliminate damage caused by time and earlier wars, but also to preserve the building’s authentic Baroque and Classicist features. From 1861 to 1915, a girls’ school operated in the monastery buildings, and from 1918 to 1931 they housed a girls’ dormitory maintained by the Central Committee of the Lithuanian Charity Society. At that time, schoolgirls, artisans, and craft workshops lived here. In 1912, during the indulgence of the patronage of the Mother of God, Lithuanians were allowed additional morning services and sermons in the Lithuanian language. The Discalced Carmelites returned to Vilnius during the interwar period, after an absence of almost a century. In 1927–1929, major restoration works were carried out on the church, led by the Polish architect, professor of the Vilnius University, Juliusz Kłos. During this restoration, particular attention was paid to preserving the building’s architectural details and strengthening its structural integrity. An expert in historic architecture, Kłos sought to emphasize the church’s most valuable features. This period is therefore regarded as one of the most significant in the history of the complex’s conservation, as it helped preserve the building’s authentic appearance. After World War II, when the Soviet Union authorities closed the monastery again, the Discalced Carmelites activities in Vilnius ceased. Nevertheless, the Church of St. Theresa, unlike many other churches in Vilnius due to the Soviet policies of atheism, was not turned into a warehouse or gallery. The Church of St. Theresa functioned as a parish church throughout the Soviet period. This helped to preserve the unique Rococo interior, frescoes by Maciej Słuszczański, and the altar funded by the Pac family from destruction. In 1971–1976, the church was repainted and repaired, and the interior was restored (the restoration works were led by the Lithuanian architect Vidmantas Vitkauskas). Following the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania in 1990, the Church of St. Theresa and its ensemble is consistently maintained. In 2018–2020, a project supported by the European Union was implemented during which the façade of church was restored, the Pociej Family Chapel was renovated, the cellars were renovated and an exhibition for visitors was installed. The church is an important part of the pilgrimage route, as it is directly connected to the Gate of Dawn Chapel, and the church, together with the Gate of Dawn, forms one of the most important religious and tourist centers of Vilnius. Nowadays, services in the Church of St. Theresa are held in Lithuanian and Polish languages. Gallery References