{"id":26926,"date":"2024-08-20T07:08:36","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T07:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/?page_id=26926"},"modified":"2024-09-13T12:57:45","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T12:57:45","slug":"architecture","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/en\/architecture\/","title":{"rendered":"Architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the 14th century, Grand Duke Gediminas invited craftsmen, merchants, and monks from Western Europe to settle in Vilnius, laying the foundations for the city\u2019s future architectural diversity. <strong>Gothic architecture<\/strong> began to spread in the late 14th century, gaining prominence after the Christianisation of Lithuania in 1387, which saw the construction of Vilnius\u2019 first Gothic cathedral. The Gothic style, flourishing until the 16th century, is characterised by red burnt brick masonry, decorative profile bricks, pointed arches, towers, and various types of vaulting (cross-ribbed, star, and net). Key Gothic buildings in Vilnius\u2019 Old Town include St. Nicholas Church, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Franciscan Church), the ensemble of St. Anne\u2019s and Bernardine Churches and Monastery, the Church of the Mother of God (with uncovered Gothic fragments), and a residential house at Pilies Street 12.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Renaissance<\/strong> reached Vilnius in the 16th century, with the influence of Bona Sforza, wife of Sigismund the Old, who brought Italian architects, artists, musicians, and chefs, infusing Renaissance spirit into local culture. Important buildings were often designed by Italian architects. Renaissance buildings are distinguished by classical forms, arcaded galleries, attics, grey and white plastered walls, and <em>sgraffito<\/em> ornaments. Key Renaissance buildings in Vilnius\u2019 Old Town include the Alumnate, the Radziwi\u0142\u0142 Palace, the Small Guild, the Gates of Dawn, parts of Vilnius University, and the reconstructed Palace of the Grand Dukes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Baroque<\/strong>, which succeeded the Renaissance in the late 16th century, was introduced by Jesuits who built ornate Baroque churches and monasteries following Italian examples. This style, flourishing in the 17th and 18th centuries, is characterised by rich decoration, intricate details, and grand volumes. Thanks to architect <em><strong>Johann Christoph Glaubitz<\/strong><\/em>, who worked in Vilnius in the mid-18th century, a distinctive <strong>Vilnius Baroque school<\/strong> emerged, influencing the region&#8217;s architecture. Key Baroque examples include St. Casimir\u2019s Church, St. Theresa\u2019s Church, St. Casimir\u2019s Chapel, St. John\u2019s Church and its belfry, St. Catherine\u2019s Church, the Church of the Ascension of the Lord (Missionaries), the Church of the Holy Spirit (Orthodox), the Church of the Holy Spirit (Dominican), and the Holy Trinity Church and Gates (Basilian).<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Classicism<\/strong> style in Vilnius is inseparable from the works of architect <em><strong>Laurynas Gucevi\u010dius<\/strong><\/em>. After studying in Rome and Paris, Gucevi\u010dius returned to Vilnius, transforming its architectural landscape with symmetrical forms and classical proportions. His most significant buildings, still standing today, are Vilnius Town Hall and the Cathedral. Classicism, derived from ancient architecture, is marked by harmonious proportions and symmetry. Other key examples of Classicist architecture include the Presidential Palace, the Chodkiewicz Palace (Vilnius Picture Gallery), and several other 18th-century palaces.<br \/>\nIn the 19th century, <strong>Historicism<\/strong> appeared in Vilnius, a style that revived and combined elements of previous architectural periods. Notable examples of Historicism include the National Philharmonic, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, the buildings at Gediminas Avenue 6 (Bank of Lithuania), Gediminas Avenue 7 (ISM School), and the \u0160tral House (Pilies Street 26).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-27049\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024_07_14-9-768x456.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"456\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024_07_14-9-768x456.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024_07_14-9-1170x694.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Photo: Gediminas Pranck\u016bnas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the 14th century, Grand Duke Gediminas invited craftsmen, merchants, and monks from Western Europe to settle in Vilnius, laying the foundations for the city\u2019s future architectural diversity. Gothic architecture began to spread in the late 14th century, gaining prominence after the Christianisation of Lithuania in 1387, which saw the construction of Vilnius\u2019 first Gothic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-26926","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26926"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27104,"href":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26926\/revisions\/27104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vsaa.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}