St. Anne's Church, Vilnius

Exterior ( façade )

The Roman Catholic St. Anne's Church ( lit.: . Šv Ono Baznycia; officially St. Anne and Bernardine ) is a major church in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. It replaced a wooden church, which was destroyed in a fire in 1419. The construction of the present church dates back to the Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon.

The church is a rare example of Gothic architecture in Lithuania, even here in the style of " flaming " Gothic. Especially on the main facade, but also on the sides there is a combination of straight and curved lines. Pilasters, four bundles, slender rods, openwork towers and three different types of bows (round, pointed and cambered ) determine the facade design. Maybe the facade design symbolizes the Pillars of Gediminas, one of the oldest known Lithuanian symbols. Except for several renovations, the shape of the red brick church since the 15th century has remained virtually unchanged. The construction data are not precisely known, but could be dated to the period 1495-1500. The chief architect was the Bohemian Benedikt Ried, who also painted parts of the Prague Castle. The exterior consists of 33 different brick types and is considered the masterpiece of Lithuanian Gothic.

While the exterior is very expressive, the interior is simple. Reason for the unadorned interior of the church are looting and destruction during the Napoleonic era. The rather simple, single-nave interior is decorated with Baroque side altars. The vaults bear the signature of the 20th century. Highlight in the interior are the stained-glass windows.

For church ensemble includes the neo-Gothic bell tower detached from Nikolai Taschagin from the 19th century and the Baroque Chapel of the Holy stairs from the 17th century. The chapel belongs more to the Bernardine Church ( officially St. Francis and Bernard). It is one of the largest Gothic churches in the city, which was supplemented baroque, and therefore, forms an exciting ensemble of three churches. Along with the rest of the old town is the church since 1994 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Restorations were made 1902-1909 and 1960-1970. Since 2009, roof, facade elements and the side turrets are restored again.