in 1896 Missionary (Lord Ascension) church, monastery. Photographer Stanisław Filibert Fleury.
In 1640, Jeronimas Sanguška, assistant to the bishop of Vilnius, started building a palace on the outskirts of the city, planning a representative park with gardens and ponds. The territory of the palace park stretched all the way to Vilnelė (in 1952 Maironio street divided the park territory into two parts).
After Sanguška's death, the palace and the park passed to the Bernardine monks, who later transferred the territory and buildings to the Radvilas.
When the missionaries arrived in Lithuania (about 1686), Kotryna Radvilienė, the wife of the Vilnius Voivodeship, gave them the Sanguška Palace and a park with gardens and ponds.
An ensemble of Baroque style buildings, started to be built in 1695. behind the former city wall, near the Subačius Gate, was formed in the XNUMXth century. in the middle Its buildings, graceful towers and pediments of the church are located high up on the so-called Saviour's Hill and are one of the most expressive highlights of the city's panorama.
The complex with a complex plan consists of a church, the Sanguška Palace, a monastery house, an office, an outbuilding and a fence.
About 1896 Church of the Missionaries (Lord Ascension), monastery and Subačiaus st. Photographer Stanisław Filibert Fleury.
in 1695 missionaries began to build a church on the foundations provided by the commander of the Latgale army, Jonas Teofilis Pliateri and his wife Aleksandra.
Around 1900 Church of the Missionaries (Lord Ascension), monastery, Subačiaus st. Photographer Stanisław Filibert Fleury.
The church was built in 1730. Jurgis Ancuta, suffragan of Vilnius, consecrated in the name of Lord Ascension. The place where the church and the monastery were built was called the Saviour's Mountain by the missionaries; this name is often applied to the church itself in documents.
The monastery was formed in 1739-1751, with the introduction of new massive three-story buildings to the Sanguška Palace, which surrounded the church from the north side and formed a small closed courtyard. On the south side, on both sides of the church's facade, two single-storey wings - the office and the farm building - were bricked. Missionary Jonas Šreteris is considered to be the draftsman of the monastery building projects and construction executor.
Since the terrain was undulating, the fruit trees in the gardens of the Missionary Monastery grew on terraces, which were characteristic of baroque gardens.
The ensemble of monastery buildings, the large orchards and gardens surrounding it were surrounded by fences. And one in the 300th century. in the words of mid-century authors, "there were no more orderly gardens in Vilnius" than the gardens of the missionaries and their neighboring visitors. In their estates, the monks had two orchards with almost XNUMX fruit trees.
in 1937 Vilnius. Photo by Jan Bułhak. St. St. John's Church bell tower. View from the Missionary Church.
In front of the monastery there was a small English garden for walks. From here, a path led to the lower terrace and the porch. This garden had gardens, ponds full of fish, and two springs. A wooden shed is mentioned - a wax smelter.
The yard of the missionary monastery
The description of the garden mentions 9 types of trees that grew there: maples, lindens, two types of poplars, birches, aspens, willows, rowan trees and lilacs. 3 rows of gooseberries grew along the fences. 115 apple trees, 125 pear trees, 22 plum trees and 13 cherry trees grew in the first and second orchards. Vegetables were grown among the trees, and the gardens were surrounded by various fences, and nearby there were many farm buildings of various purposes: a brewery, a sauna, a malthouse, warehouses, a vegetable garden, 2 stables, a shed, a barn, a forge, a laundry, a carriage house, etc.
The second orchard bordered the visitors' gardens and was surrounded by a brick fence.
in 1861 Missionary gardens, view from Paplauja. Photo: Albert Swieykowski
Missionaries actively participated in cultural and educational activities. In the monastery (in the Sanguška Palace) there was a seminary for priests of the Vilnius Diocese (since 1773), where monks and lay clergy studied. In it in 1773-1775 also studied in 1775 famous classicist architect Laurynas Gucevičius taught mathematics. The seminary led by the missionaries was famous for its library (it is believed that it was the largest among Vilnius monasteries); it contained books of special value, especially in Greek and Latin, publications of church fathers and classical authors, sermons read by missionaries, etc. manuscript texts.
1935 View of the Missionary church and monastery.
The seminary was closed in 1844. along with the monastery. In the monastery (farm wing) 1799-1832. the diocesan printing house was located, transferred from the Jesuits of Gardin; Lithuanian books are also printed there. Since 1803 there was a parochial school here, attended by a dozen to 100 students, especially children from poorer families.
There was a boarding house near the monastery - the Baby Jesus shelter for orphans and strays, founded in 1788-1791. It supported 21 students with the foundation funds of Jadvyga Zaluskytė-Oginskienė, Duchess of Trakai, and another 14 poor young people of noble origin with the funds of the monastery.
1935 View of the Missionary church and monastery.
Under the care and supervision of the Sisters of Mercy, St. Jacob's Hospital (since 1809) and the Child Jesus Shelter House. in 1864 The tsarist authorities removed the Sisters of Mercy from the shelter, in 1867. - and from the hospital.
in 1844 the church and the monastery were closed by the tsar's order. The buildings and land holdings of the monastery were handed over to the city authorities, the church inventory was the property of the diocese, and the monks were distributed to other monasteries. After 18 years, in 1859 by the efforts of missionary monks, the church was returned to the faithful and in 1862 services have been resumed in its restored part. 1993th century In the second half, the church was repaired several times. In the middle of the 05th century, the church was closed, later the storage facilities of the Lithuanian National Museum were installed in its premises, 19. the church was handed over to the Curia of Vilnius Diocese, it is used temporarily Lithuanian National Museum.
The purpose of the monastery building often changed: it was used for a military hospital (1844), an Orthodox spiritual consistory (1848), an institute of noble panels (1856), a psychiatric hospital (1859), a charitable society "Dobrohotnaja kopeika" (1874), in 1915 passed to the Vilnius City Board. Later, the monastery buildings belonged to Vilnius City II Hospital. Now the Vilnius Archdiocese promises to resurrect the Missionary Church and the monastery for a new life.
Source:
Vilnius city studio
