St. Paraskeva Church, Vilnius
Encyclopedia
St. Paraskeva Church is an Orthodox church in Vilnius
.
The first Orthodox church of St. Paraskeva was constructed on demand of prince Algirdas
' first wife, a Vitebsk
princess Maria, who was subsequently buried there in 1346. According to the legend, the church was built on the site of a temple to the pagan god, Ragutis
. This church was completely destroyed by fire in 1557 and rebuilt three years later, but burned down again in 1611. Although ruined, it was given to the uniate parish
. In 1655, it was given back to the Orthodox parish and renovated.
During the Great Northern War
, in 1705, the church was visited by the Russian tsar Peter the Great
, who prayed there for the military victory. During the same service, Abram Petrovich Gannibal
was baptised, with the tsar serving as the godfather
. Three years later, the victorius tsar decided to grant some of the conquered Swedish flags to St. Paraskeva's church.
In 1748, the building was again destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1795. However, it stood closed during the following forty years, slowly falling into decline. In 1864, on the orders of the Russian local government, it was rebuilt and enlarged in Neo-Byzantine style by Nikolay Chagin.
The church was devastated during the II World War. Although it was renovated again, the Stalinist government didn't allow the Russian Orthodox Church
to start holding its services there. At first, a Museum of Atheism was to be opened there, but in the end the church was turned into a gallery of Lithuanian folk art. The church was given back to the Orthodox Church only in 1990 and reconsecrated by Metropolitan Khrisostom the following year. Since then it has been an auxiliary church of the Cathedral of the Theotokos
.
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
.
The first Orthodox church of St. Paraskeva was constructed on demand of prince Algirdas
Algirdas
Algirdas was a monarch of medieval Lithuania. Algirdas ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377, which chiefly meant monarch of Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
' first wife, a Vitebsk
Vitebsk
Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
princess Maria, who was subsequently buried there in 1346. According to the legend, the church was built on the site of a temple to the pagan god, Ragutis
Ragutis
Volfas Engelman is an alcohol beverage producer in Kaunas, Lithuania.Currently 99.57 % of Volfas Engelman shares belong to Finnish company group Olvi Plc...
. This church was completely destroyed by fire in 1557 and rebuilt three years later, but burned down again in 1611. Although ruined, it was given to the uniate parish
Union of Brest
Union of Brest or Union of Brześć refers to the 1595-1596 decision of the Church of Rus', the "Metropolia of Kiev-Halych and all Rus'", to break relations with the Patriarch of Constantinople and place themselves under the Pope of Rome. At the time, this church included most Ukrainians and...
. In 1655, it was given back to the Orthodox parish and renovated.
During the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
, in 1705, the church was visited by the Russian tsar Peter the Great
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
, who prayed there for the military victory. During the same service, Abram Petrovich Gannibal
Abram Petrovich Gannibal
Major-General Abram Petrovich Gannibal, also Hannibal or Ganibal or Ibrahim Hannibal or Abram Petrov , was brought to Russia as a gift for Peter the Great and became major-general, military engineer, governor of Reval and nobleman of the Russian Empire...
was baptised, with the tsar serving as the godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
. Three years later, the victorius tsar decided to grant some of the conquered Swedish flags to St. Paraskeva's church.
In 1748, the building was again destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1795. However, it stood closed during the following forty years, slowly falling into decline. In 1864, on the orders of the Russian local government, it was rebuilt and enlarged in Neo-Byzantine style by Nikolay Chagin.
The church was devastated during the II World War. Although it was renovated again, the Stalinist government didn't allow the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
to start holding its services there. At first, a Museum of Atheism was to be opened there, but in the end the church was turned into a gallery of Lithuanian folk art. The church was given back to the Orthodox Church only in 1990 and reconsecrated by Metropolitan Khrisostom the following year. Since then it has been an auxiliary church of the Cathedral of the Theotokos
Cathedral of the Theotokos, Vilnius
The Cathedral of the Theotokos in Vilnius is the main Orthodox Christian church of Lithuania.The cathedral was built during the reign of the Grand Duke Algirdas in 1346...
.
Sources
- G. Shlevis, Православные храмы Литвы, Vilnius 2006