Vilnius Cathedral

The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius  is the main Roman Catholic Cathedral of Lithuania. It is situated in Vilnius Old Town, just off of Cathedral Square. Dedicated to Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus, the church is the heart of Catholic spiritual life in Lithuania.

The coronations of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania took place within its confines. Inside its crypts and catacombs are buried many famous people from Lithuanian and Polish history including Vytautas (1430), his wife Anna (1418), his brother Sigismund (Žygimantas) (1440), his cousin Švitrigaila (1452), Saint Casimir (1484), Alexander Jagiellon (1506), and two wives of Sigismund II Augustus: Elisabeth of Habsburg (1545) and Barbara Radziwiłł (1551). The heart of the Polish king Władysław IV Vasa was buried there upon his death, although the rest of his body is buried at the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków.


During the Soviet regime initially the cathedral was converted into a warehouse. Masses were celebrated again starting in 1988, although the cathedral was still officially called “The Gallery of Images” at that time. In 1989, its status as a cathedral was restored.

N 54° 41.139 E 025° 17.209

Below the crossword, here are words related to the history of Vilnius Cathedral. Find them in the crossword.

s d f g h j C k l q w e C R
 z b a r o q U e x c v b L F
M c l v b n P m l k j h A V
A s d a d d O f g h j k S Y
D w q s c u L p t u r e S H
O e r t y k A g a n g e I S
N f g h j k k l z x c v C U
N M b n m q C w e r t y I J
A A y a r c H i t e c t S N
R R Y E U F A f g h j k M I
F B H D J G P s d f g h j K
V L B C F R E s c o e s L M
C E N V F j l A S  D F H J L


Madonna   marble  frescoes   architects   baroque   chapel   sculptures   angels   cupola   classicism



In the pictures and frescoes, she always holds little Jesus on her hands.

This black material was used to decorate the interior of the Cathedral.

Pictures painted on the walls of the Cathedrals or churches.

The chapel of St Casimir was decorated by Italian …

Vilnius Cathedral has features of two architectural styles: … and …

Vilnius Cathedral has 11 of these named by the names of holy people.

Info do skrytki: In the underground of the Cathedral, there are coffins with the relics of the kings from Jagellon Dynasty.

1. What is the architectural type of Vilnius Cathedral? 2. What is the name of one of the saints the Cathedral is dedicated to? 3. The heart of which Polish dynasty’s king is buried in Vilnius Cathedral? 4. The chapel of which saint has a sarcophagus? 5. Dating back to the end of the 14th century, what kind of work of art was found on the walls of one of the cathedral’s underground chapels? 6. Who is the designer responsible for the current appearance of the Cathedral? 7. The sculpture of which saint is located in the middle of the roof of the Cathedral? 8. The sculpture of St. Stanislaus located on the roof of the Cathedral, presumably symbolizes what? 9. Which Baltic pagan god was worshipped in pre-Christian times at the site of the cathedral? 10. What is the name of the place in a church, where religious offerings are made?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1.Neoclassical   2.Stanislaus      3.Vasa       4.Casimir       5.Fresco            6.Gucevicius

7.Helena  8.Poland   9.Perkunas     10.Altar