Cathedral of the Theotokos, Vilnius

The Assumption of the Mother of God Cathedral ( lit. Dievo Motinos Ėmimo į dangu katedra; Russian Кафедральный собор во имя Успения Пречистой Божией Матери ) in Vilnius is the main church of the Orthodox Christians in Lithuania.

The Cathedral was built in 1346 under Grand Duke Algirdas. It was built by Kiev architects and was originally dedicated to St. Alexius. The Saint Mary's Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in the country and was built even before the Christianization of Lithuania. She became one of the most important spiritual centers in the Grand Duchy, which was reflected by the marriage of Aleksandra Jogailaitis and Helena Ivanovna Moskiewska. Helena, founded in 1513 buried in the church. After catholicization of the country introduced the Prince Konstanty Ostrogski and Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski the church under protection. They also handled the repair costs after the collapse of the dome 1506. Upon her death in 1609 the Cathedral of the Greek- Catholic Church was transferred and the church was built in a typical style of the area again.

After the great fire in the city in 1748, the cathedral was no longer used for church purposes and found otherwise use. Already in 1785 it was rebuilt in Baroque style again and again destroyed by the Russian army during the Kościuszko Uprising. The heavily damaged building was sold in 1808 to the University of Vilnius. They modernized the building under Karol Podczaszyński in the classical style. For half a century, the church was used as an anatomical theater, library and other university facilities.

The old orthodox church was converted at the initiative of Mikhail Nikolayevich Murawjow during Russifizierungsperiode back in a Russian Orthodox church. For the reconstruction Nikolai Chagin responsible. The reconstruction took place from 1865 to 1868 in the Georgian style. Why this style was used is unclear.

During the Second World War, the Saint Mary's Cathedral was badly damaged. Although the restoration was begun in 1948, the reopening was delayed until 1957. To date, the last time in 1998 restored church belongs to the Russian Orthodox church. The services are now mostly visited by the Russian and Belarusian minority of the population of Vilnius.