The Directorate of the Vilnius Castles State Cultural Reserve recalls an extraordinary story: the only pope to ever climb Gediminas Hill was Pius XI, who at that time was still Archbishop Achille Ratti.
In January 1920, as the papal envoy to Poland, Archbishop Ratis arrived in Vilnius. The city enchanted him – he visited Vilnius Cathedral, the Gate of Dawn, and admired other churches in the capital. However, one exceptional detail made this stay historic.
"Being an avid climber, Archbishop Akilė Ratis climbed Gediminas Hill on a very cold January day," notes the Vilnius Castles Directorate.
The impressions from the mountaintop stuck with him for a long time. According to his memories, even at an altitude of four kilometers on the peaks of the Alps, Ratis had never felt the cold as strongly as he did that time in Vilnius: the air was full of ice needles, which painfully pricked the future pope's face.
Lithuania – a special place in the future pope's life
After his stay in Vilnius, the Archbishop traveled by train to Kaunas via Vievis, where he was greeted with special solemnity. This respect reflected the hospitality of a young state fighting for its freedom.
In the same March 1920, the Archbishop once again crossed Lithuania – on his way to Riga, he visited the Kaišiadorys Church, which later became an important center of the Lithuanian ecclesiastical province. He was accompanied on the trip by Father Stanislovas Jokūbauskis, an ardent storyteller of the history of Samogitia.
Pope Pius XI and Lithuania
On February 1922, 6, Akilė Ratis was elected pope and became Pius XIKnowing Lithuania not only from diplomatic documents, but also from personal experiences, he:
- In 1922, Lithuania's independence was recognized de jure;
- In 1926, he established an independent Lithuanian ecclesiastical province with the metropolitan throne of an archbishop, fulfilling King Mindaugas's long-standing dream of having an independent Lithuanian church.
"Having seen Lithuania with his own eyes, Pius XI established a special connection with our country," emphasizes the Directorate of the Vilnius Castles State Cultural Reserve.
