Catholic church of St. Raphael (Vilnius)

The Jesuit church on Snipishki , in the former Vilna suburb on the high right bank of Viliya , was built in 1702-1709 by the nobleman Michal Koszczyc at his own expense with the support of the Vilnius governor Casimir Jan Sapieha and the full hetman Michael Casimir Radziwill .

The Jesuits at the church founded a monastery, the construction of buildings of which was completed in 1740 . The stone church was erected in 1715 - 1730 , some work continued until 1735 .

With the abolition of the Jesuit Order ( 1773 ), the temple and monastery passed to PR . In 1791, the temple became a parish. In 1792, the monastery was sold by the PR to the tsarist government, which subsequently established barracks in it. In 1812, when Napoleon invaded , the French used the temple under an armory, causing significant damage to the building. Until 1824 it was empty, then the temple was put in order and acted as a parish. In 1832, the tsarist authorities established a warehouse for the Russian army in the church. In 1860, the church was returned to believers, became a parish and was no longer closed. In 1975, the church was restored. The Monument Department of the Ministry of Culture of Lithuania is located in the monastery premises.

The church of St. Archangel Raphael, together with the complex of buildings of the former monastery, constitutes the late Baroque architectural ensemble. The church is rectangular in plan, three-nave, basilic type. In the lower tier of the main facade , a flat wall with a clear order division is characteristic of the transition from early to late baroque. The portal in a baroque frame, an oval window, peculiarly curved frames of windows and niches of the second tier diversifies the facade. A low tier ( parapet ) above the cornice connects the triangular pediment with two towers. In the niches of the second tier, gypsum figures of the holy archangel Raphael and St. Joseph Kalasantius (founder of the PR order) are installed.

The third and fourth tiers of the towers were built in 1752 by the architect Jan Valent Diderstein with the participation of, as expected, Jan Nezemkowski . The plastic composition of the towers with columns and volutes in the corners, sophisticatedly curved cornices , gives the facade grace and splendor. The architectural forms of the two towers of the temple reflect the transition from Baroque to Rococo . Helmets of complex shape are not typical of Vilnius Baroque . ^[3] . The side facades are restrained and strict.

The large altar with groups of columns on high pedestals and numerous figured sculptures belongs to the Rococo style. At the altar is a painting by the famous artist Shimon Chekhovich depicting the archangel Raphael.

1. ↑ Šv. Arkangelo Rapolo bažnyčios ir jėzuitų vienuolyno statinių ansamblis (lit.) . Kultūros vertybių registras . Kultūros paveldo departamentas prie Kultūros ministerijos. Date of treatment June 18, 2015.
2. ↑ Šv. arkangelo Rapolo bažnyčia (lit.) . Kultūros vertybių registras . Kultūros paveldo departamentas prie Kultūros ministerijos. Date of treatment June 18, 2015.
3. ↑ Lietuvos architektūros istorija. T. II: Nuo XVII a. pradžios iki XIX a. vidurio. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla, 1994. ISBN 5-420-00583-3 (erroneous) . P. 128-130. (lit.)

• Wilno. Przewodnik krajoznawczy Juliusza Kłosa, Prof. Uniwersytetu St. Batorego. Wydanie trzecie poprawione po zgonie autora. Wilno, 1937. S. 260-261. (polish)
• Lietuvos architektūros istorija. T. II: Nuo XVII a. pradžios iki XIX a. vidurio. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla, 1994. ISBN 5-420-00583-3 (erroneous) . P. 128-130. (lit.)

• Church of St. Archangel Raphael
• The Church of St Raphael the Archangel
• Vilniaus Arkangelo Rapolo parapija (lit.)
• Vilniaus buvęs trečiosios probacijos jėzuitų vienuolynas ir Šv. Rapolo (lit.)