Photo Slider Old Town in Vilnius: Vilnius University and Monastery Quarter

Church of St. Anne (left) and Bernardine Church (right)St. Anne Church, designed in 1495-1500 by Benedikt Rejt, built up at the turn of the 15th century, and renovated in 1902-1909. The façade was reinforced in 1960-1970St. Anne Church - a church which French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to put on his palm and carry it over to Paris All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The church is endowed by Juliana, the wife of Lithuania's Grand Duke Algirdas (1345-1377) and mother of Lithuania's and Poland's ruler Jogaila. Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila baptized Lithuania in 1387. She was buried in the churchFragments of Gothic masonry have survived in the bottom part and in some segments up to the top. The present façades and the cupola imitate Georgian medieval architectureIn 1415 the church was transformed into a cathedral. In 1511-1522 it was reconstructed by Prince Constantine Ostrogsky. In 1516 Helen (a Russian Orthodox), wife of Alexander Jagiellon (Polish King and Lithuanian Grand Duke) was buried there. In 1609 the cathedral was given to the Uniates (Greek Catholics). In 1865-1868 it rendered its present appearance, and it began to function as a church again All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

One of the Latin inscriptions: "This house is that of Urania: be gone profane worries! Here the humble Earth is scorned: from here one rises to the stars" Here it was a Jesuit pharmacy. Medical herbs were grown in the courtyard The buildings of the Observatory Courtyard are the oldest in the university ensemble All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic © Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Simonas Daukantas was one of the first authors to start forming the concept of an ethnic Lithuanian nation and its cultural history The larger part of the premises in this courtyard belongs to the Faculty of Philology. The Institute of Foreign Languages is located here too "Domus Philologiae" with the lobby of Muses on the first floor of the east wing is decorated by a fresco created by Rimtautas Gibavičius in 1969 All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic © Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Beside the main house (close to the Antakalnio St.) stands a residential house, in which the first exhibition of Lithuanian art took place in 1907 A monument to the brothers Vileišis in Vilnius near the River NerisThe main Vileišis building was one of the first in Vilnius, for whose construction a rare material in Lithuania - concrete - was used  All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The Bastion is comprised of a tower, cannon room and 48 m. the long corridor connecting it with the towerThe walls and moats of the Bastion were excavated in 1965-1970, and the canon room was renovated in 1985-1986 The entire Bastion is converted into a museum, and since 1987 it houses an exhibition of defensive fortifications and weaponryAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Originally, the Vilnius Lower Castle's jurisdictional court and administration was housed in this building during the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 18th century it was reconstructed into a weapons store-house and militarry baracks In 2003, a monument to King Mindaugas was erected in the square in front of the building of New Arsenal (today Lithuanian National Museum)In the 19th century, an entrance in the Classical style was biultAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

It is thought that a settlement existed on this site before the times of Gediminas and even Mindaugas (killed in 1263), in the 12th centuryThere are several interesting buildings on Bokšto StreetView of Vilnius' Bastion from Bokšto StreetAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Grand Duke Gediminas is considered as the founder of the city of VilniusGediminas was a diplomatic politician, creating ties with the Roman Pope and other European rulers. He created favourable conditions for merchants and guildsmen to come to the cityDuring the time of Gediminas, people of different ethnicities and confessions began to live in VilniusAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The church received its current form in 1738-1749 after fires in the cityThe church was rebuilted by Vilnius Baroque architect J. K. Glaubitz in the ornate Late Baroque style, and installed 24 altars insite The church bell tower received its current shape in 1737. The bell tower is 68 m tall. It is the tallest building in Vilnius Old TownAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The 17th-century church's façade is modest, however the interior is richly ornate with a number of stucco mouldings The interior was created by the Italians G. P. Perti and G. M. Galli, who decorated it with more than 2,000 stucco mouldings The chandelier was created in 1905 in Riga and represents the Biblical Noah's arkAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The church was named after St. Nicholas, who was the Bishop of Myra and the patron of travelers and merchants. The character of Santa Claus is thought to be based on this saintThe Church of St. Nicholas in Vilnius is the oldest surviving Late Gothic church in Lithuania. The small church was used by the Franciscan monks, who lived nearbyThe interior of the church is decorated with ornate rib and groin vaults. A 16th-century picture of St. Nicholas with a silver frame is located on the left altarAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Tour № 1 – Šventaragis ValleyCathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus & St. VladislausCathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus & St. Vladislaus (inside, including the Chapel of St. Casimir, the Chapel of Deportees, the Gasztołd Chapel, the Royal Chapel, St. Wladislaw/Vladislaus/Ladislav Chapel, High alter, Memorial plague to the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas Magnus, the Sapieha Madona’s picture, etc)Cathedral Basilica Bell TowerRoyal Palace of Lithuania (the Palace of Grand Dukes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania)Upper CastleUpper Castle’s West (Gediminas) TowerOld Arsenal – Museum of Applied ArtNew Arsenal – Lithuanian National MuseumMonument to King Mindaugas (1236-1263: Crowned King on July 6th, 1253)Monument to Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1316-1341: the founder of Gediminian-Jagiellonian ruling dynasty)Tour № 2 – Vilnius University & Monastery QuarterVilnius University – Historical Campus (est. 1579)Vilnius University – the Bronze door of the Central LibraryVilnius University – Historical Campus (inside, including 12 university’s courtyards, Domus Philologiae, Smuglevičius Hall, White (Observatory) ...

Alumnatas Courtyard was the location for the student dormitory of a pontifical seminary in which seminary students (alumni) and future Greek Catholic (Uniate) priests livedIn the mid-17th century, the courtyard was remodelledin an Italian Renaissance style , along with a chapelLater the buldings around Alumnatas Courtyard passed to Vilnius UniversityAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The church is Gothic, with some Baroque forms that it acquired in the late 18th centuryIn 1812 the church was partly destroyed by the French army that used it as a granary. Since 1864 the church was closed and converted into an archive The church adjoins a monastery, the oldest in Lithuania, whose construction began in Gediminas' times (in 1334)All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Vladislaus in Vilnius. Today the Cathedral Basilica is in the Classicist style as it was redisigned in 1783-1801 by Lithuanian architect Laurynas Gucevičius  Baroque-style Cathedral's St. Casimir's Chapel built in 1610-1632 for holding the remains of St. Casimir Cathedral Basilica Bell Tower. It is rebuilt tower that was part of the defensive wall that encircled the Lower CastleSaveAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The Royal Palace at the foot of the Castle Hill was a residence of the Grand Duke of LithuaniaThe Lower Castle is related with the times of Sigismund the Old and Sigismund August, Qween Nona and Barbora Radvilaitė (16th century)In the 16th century the Royal Palace with its Inner Courtyard was an Italian-style palace with four wings and atticsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

An idea to designate this small street a memorial site to writers began to be implemented in 2008Literatų Street No. 5: The Piasecki house built in the late 18th century. In 1823, having arrived from Kaunas, Adam Mickiewicz resided here at the invitation of the parents of his friend Kazimierz Piasecki. On the pediment of the entry arch a memorial plaque with a Polish inscription is set up; plaques with Lithuanian and Russian inscriptions are set below on both sides of the arch In the 19th century there were many bookshops on this street, hence its nameAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Užupio street is the main street in the city's district of Užupis. The district was in the Soviet time one of the most dilapidated districts in Vilnius. Many of the buildings did not have electricity and sanitary facilities, and the streets were unlitThe River Užupis which separates Užupis district from the Old Town. On one side of the river is a unique ensemble of sacred buildings and a park, while on the other side is "Republic of Užupis", where a number of artists live and work"Angel of Užupis" sculpture. An angel is playing a trumpet that provides ideas about Užupis to others and protects the districtAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The exterior of the Church of St. Theresa is designed according to the models of Roman architecture: it is noble and harmonious, built along the vertical principle with volutes and side obelisksThe St. Theresa Church (left) is located at Dawn St. nearby the Gate of Dawn (at the top) that is famous for its miraculous image of the Mother of Mercy (or Mary of Vilnius)The chapel is built by the Barefoot Carmelite monks for the miraculous picture of Mary of Vilnius in 1671. The St. Theresa Church was built with a large Barefoot Carmelite Monastery, established near Vilnius' defensive wall All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018