Vilnian Baroque

Church of St. Casimir, the first Baroque style church in Lithuania's capital Vilnius

The Vilnian Baroque (Lithuanian: Vilnietiškas barokas, Polish: barok wileński, Belarusian: Віленскае барока) or the School of Vilnius Baroque (Lithuanian: Vilniaus baroko mokykla, Polish: wileńska szkoła baroku, Belarusian: Школа віленскага барока) is a name of late Baroque architecture style in Catholic church architecture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which expanded well into Greek Catholic church architecture on territories covered by the Union of Brest.[1][2][3] The style was formed by alumnus of the Catholic Jesuits' Vilnius University. Most preserved buildings in this style are in Vilnius.[4][5][6][3][7]

The architect Johann Christoph Glaubitz is considered to be one of the founders of Vilnian Baroque. Working on restoration of churches in Vilnius, he was often inspired by contemporary buildings of Austria and Bavaria. Polish churches created by Paolo Fontana [it] are also made in Vilnian Baroque style. Although being predominantly Catholic style of architecture, Vilnian Baroque was also popular among the Uniates which gave the style its second name ‘Uniate Baroque’.[8] Another famous architect Thomas Zebrowski also designed and supervised constructions of Vilnian Baroque churches in Lithuania and Belarus.[9]

Vilnian Baroque is characterized by upward striving outlooks, two towers symmetry, overall lightness of shapes. In this regard the style is opposed to the so-called[by whom?] Sarmatian [ru][dubious – discuss] that was widespread in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the late XVII — early XVIII centuries.[10][11][2][3] Other features of the Vilnian Baroque include differently decorated compartments, undulation of cornices and walls, decorativeness in bright colors, and multi-colored marble and stucco altars in the interiors.[11][3][12]

  1. ^ "Baroque Vilnius". VisitWorldHeritage.com. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Vilnius Historic Centre". UNESCO. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Vilniaus baroko mokykla". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  4. ^ Morozova 2007.
  5. ^ Raugalienė 2011, p. 32-40.
  6. ^ Irena Aleksaitė (2001). Lithuania: an outline. Akreta. p. 218. ISBN 9955-463-02-3.
  7. ^ Kaladžinskaitė-Jocienė, Auksė. "Paskaita "Vilniaus vėlyvojo Baroko architektūros mokykla ir jos sklaida"". Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania via YouTube.com. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  8. ^ Gabrus 1996.
  9. ^ Matulaitytė, Stasė. "Tomas Žebrauskas". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  10. ^ Gabrus 2015, p. 24-30.
  11. ^ a b Raila, Eligijus. "Baroko architektūros sklaida". Šaltiniai.info. Ministry of Education and Science of Lithuania, Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, Vilnius University. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  12. ^ Vitkauskienė, Birutė Rūta. "Barokas Lietuvos architektūroje". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 March 2023.