St. Michael the Archangel church in Kaunas
Encyclopedia
St. Michael the Archangel's Church or the Garrison Church is a Roman Catholic church in Kaunas
, Lithuania
, closing the perspective of the Laisvės alėja
, the main pedestrian street. It was built between 1891 and 1895 in Neo-Byzantine style
for the garrison
of Kaunas Fortress
.
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth lands, started after the putting down of the January Uprising
of 1831 and peaked during the reign of Alexander II
. Initially the site of the future Kaunas St. Michael the Archangel Church was intended to be used for a Catholic church, however these plans were abandoned due to the Uprising.
The Russian Orthodox
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was designed in 1890 by K. H. Lymarenko; it was authorized for construction on November 10 of the same year. Official groundbreaking was celebrated on June 29, 1891. Later, the initial Lymarenko plan was adjusted by David Grimm
from St. Petersburg. The church's ornamentation plan was outlined by Griaznov and implemented by craftsman from Vilnius
. Most of the construction was carried out by workers from Chernigov Governorate
, while the art work was implemented by craftsmen from St. Petersburg.
As usual for military churches of the period, the construction of Kaunas Cathedral was co-financed by the Military Ministry and donations by army servicemen, in nearly even shares. The Cathedral was completed in four years (unusually fast for its size) and inaugurated on September 17, 1895. Completion of the church finalized the administrative building complex of the Kaunas Fortress
and symbolized the might and triumph of Orthodoxy. It was also believed that the church would reduce interdenominational frictions.
After the fall of the Kaunas Fortress during World War I
, the Germans cut down the church bells and transported them to Germany. The church stayed closed until 1919. In the interwar period
the Cathedral was converted to a Roman Catholic church of the Lithuania
n garrison of Kaunas. There were voices urging the demolition of the church as it was labeled as without architectural value. During the Soviet occupation, it was used as an art gallery and nowadays it serves as a Roman Catholic
church. The other popular name of the church is Sobor
as.
in an otherwise typical Neo-Byzantine five-dome design. In total the exterior has 266 large and small columns and pilaster
s. This eclectic
spin-off of mainstream Byzantine architecture (the so-called Roman Byzantine style) was hailed by contemporary architectural magazines but never gained popularity.
As built, the Cathedral reached 50 meters height; it was finished in three shades of sandstone
color with equal-armed cross
ornament. For the interior the structure relied on four load-bearing pylons designed to appear slimmer and lighter than in reality. The space between external and internal shells of the main dome was filled with hollow clay
resonator
s. Cut from granite
, floor tessera
s were bought from abroad. In the dome above the main altar there were two Archangel
s – evangelists. The main altar's stained glass
portrayed God's entrance to heaven. Smaller domes there used for the bells, one of them was founded in 1681. Just inside the church and to the right is the entrance to the catacombs, that are available to the public.
is located underneath the church. It originated as a 2005 art installation - "21st century catacombs" – designed for the blind, the visually impaired, and the sighted. The project was overseen by the Lithuanian
sculptor Robertas Antinis
and architect Linas Tuleikis.
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, closing the perspective of the Laisvės alėja
Laisves aleja
Laisvės Alėja is a prominent pedestrian street in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania. It stretches between the St. Michael the Archangel's Byzantine style church to the Central Post Office and Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum around the Kaunas Old Town, the oldest section of Kaunas...
, the main pedestrian street. It was built between 1891 and 1895 in Neo-Byzantine style
Neo-Byzantine architecture in the Russian Empire
Neo-Byzantine architecture in the Russian Empire emerged in the 1850s and became an officially endorsed preferred architectural style for church construction during the reign of Alexander II of Russia , replacing the Russo-Byzantine style of Konstantin Thon...
for the garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
of Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress is the remains of a fortress complex in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was constructed and renovated between 1882 and 1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders, and was designated a "first-class" fortress in 1887...
.
History
Construction of "military" or "garrison" Orthodox churches in former partitionedPartitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth lands, started after the putting down of the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
of 1831 and peaked during the reign of Alexander II
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
. Initially the site of the future Kaunas St. Michael the Archangel Church was intended to be used for a Catholic church, however these plans were abandoned due to the Uprising.
The Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was designed in 1890 by K. H. Lymarenko; it was authorized for construction on November 10 of the same year. Official groundbreaking was celebrated on June 29, 1891. Later, the initial Lymarenko plan was adjusted by David Grimm
David Grimm
David Ivanovich Grimm was a Russian architect, educator and historian of art of Byzantine Empire, Georgia and Armenia. Grimm belonged to the second generation of Russian neo-Byzantine architects and was the author of orthodox cathedrals in Tbilisi, Chersonesos and smaller churches in Russia and...
from St. Petersburg. The church's ornamentation plan was outlined by Griaznov and implemented by craftsman from Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. Most of the construction was carried out by workers from Chernigov Governorate
Chernigov Governorate
The Chernigov Governorate , also known as the Government of Chernigov, was a guberniya in the historical Left-bank Ukraine region of the Russian Empire, which was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Malorossiya Governorate with an administrative centre of Chernigov...
, while the art work was implemented by craftsmen from St. Petersburg.
As usual for military churches of the period, the construction of Kaunas Cathedral was co-financed by the Military Ministry and donations by army servicemen, in nearly even shares. The Cathedral was completed in four years (unusually fast for its size) and inaugurated on September 17, 1895. Completion of the church finalized the administrative building complex of the Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress is the remains of a fortress complex in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was constructed and renovated between 1882 and 1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders, and was designated a "first-class" fortress in 1887...
and symbolized the might and triumph of Orthodoxy. It was also believed that the church would reduce interdenominational frictions.
After the fall of the Kaunas Fortress during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Germans cut down the church bells and transported them to Germany. The church stayed closed until 1919. In the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
the Cathedral was converted to a Roman Catholic church of the Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n garrison of Kaunas. There were voices urging the demolition of the church as it was labeled as without architectural value. During the Soviet occupation, it was used as an art gallery and nowadays it serves as a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church. The other popular name of the church is Sobor
Sobor
A sobor is a council of bishops together with other clerical and lay delegates representing the church as a whole in matters of importance...
as.
Architecture
Kaunas Cathedral stood out among similar military churches due to its size (it was designed to fit 2,000 worshipers) and unusual architecture employing triple Corinthian columnsCorinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
in an otherwise typical Neo-Byzantine five-dome design. In total the exterior has 266 large and small columns and pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s. This eclectic
Eclecticism
Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.It can sometimes seem inelegant or...
spin-off of mainstream Byzantine architecture (the so-called Roman Byzantine style) was hailed by contemporary architectural magazines but never gained popularity.
As built, the Cathedral reached 50 meters height; it was finished in three shades of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
color with equal-armed cross
Equal-Armed Cross
Equal-Armed Cross, also referred to as the square cross, the balanced cross, and the peaceful cross, is a name for the Greek Cross when this is found in ancient cultures, predating Christianity...
ornament. For the interior the structure relied on four load-bearing pylons designed to appear slimmer and lighter than in reality. The space between external and internal shells of the main dome was filled with hollow clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
resonator
Resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior, that is, it naturally oscillates at some frequencies, called its resonant frequencies, with greater amplitude than at others. The oscillations in a resonator can be either electromagnetic or mechanical...
s. Cut from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, floor tessera
Tessera
A tessera is an individual tile in a mosaic, usually formed in the shape of a cube. It is also known as an abaciscus, abaculus, or, in Persian کاشي معرق. In antiquity, mosaics were formed from naturally colored pebbles, but by 200 BC purpose-made tesserae were being used...
s were bought from abroad. In the dome above the main altar there were two Archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
s – evangelists. The main altar's stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
portrayed God's entrance to heaven. Smaller domes there used for the bells, one of them was founded in 1681. Just inside the church and to the right is the entrance to the catacombs, that are available to the public.
Museum for the blind
The Kaunas Museum for the BlindKaunas Museum for the Blind
The Kaunas Museum for the Blind in Kaunas, Lithuania opened in 2005. It was the first museum for the blind in the Baltic States and one of the first in Eastern Europe.The museum, located in the catacombs underneath St...
is located underneath the church. It originated as a 2005 art installation - "21st century catacombs" – designed for the blind, the visually impaired, and the sighted. The project was overseen by the Lithuanian
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
sculptor Robertas Antinis
Robertas Antinis
Robertas Antinis is a Lithuanian painter, and sculptor.He is a winner of the National Culture and Art Prize.-Life:He graduated from the Applied Arts School in Riga in 1965, and the Latvian State Art Academy in 1970....
and architect Linas Tuleikis.
See also
- Saint Michael: Roman Catholic traditions and views