When we visit the burial places of our loved ones, we look down to where our loved ones were sent on their last journey. If we have to climb a grave with a burning candle, which we want to place beautifully, many of us mentally apologize to our relatives for having to cross the burial site. However, few of us know that one of the most prominent representatives of the noble family of Lithuania - the great hetman of Lithuania and the voivode of Vilnius Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas (1624-1682) expressed his desire to be buried not in the most honorable place of the church, but as a sinful mortal - in the crypt at St. On the threshold of the Church of Peter and Paul. Few know that when entering this masterpiece of Baroque architecture, one has to step over the remains of a noble buried under the threshold of the church. The nobleman himself had expressed his will to bury him in this way. The historical figure is commemorated by a stone slab with the inscription "Hic jacet peccator" (Here lies a sinner). A frequent reminder in the Baroque era Memento died (Remember that you will die) and the clear realization that earthly possessions and positions lose their meaning in the face of death, are expressively conveyed in the decoration of the church founded by this nobleman, in the stucco moldings depicting the gilded, gilded crown and wealth.
Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas, the great hetman of Lithuania and the voivode of Vilnius, nurtured the traditions of medieval chivalry, was famous for his bravery, crushed his enemies, and participated victoriously in 1673. The Battle of Chotin halted the Ottoman Empire's advance into Europe. Led by Didik Lithuanian army in 1661 liberated the capital of Lithuania from the Muscovites, took back Vilnius Castle and the ruined Palace of the Lords. A few years later (1668), Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas started building Vilnius St. Church of Apostles Peter and Paul. Opponents criticized the large expenses for building churches and monasteries, instead of investing more in the defense of the country after the Muscovite flood. The Pacai family had two indivisible sides of love for the Motherland - earthly and heavenly. Both of them were equally important for the Pacs, and the preserved works of special historical and artistic value today allow us to talk about a unique era of the "Pacs Baroque" in Lithuania.
17th century In the second half, the Paci family, which gained power in Lithuania, was famous as savvy, active and generous patrons, who invited talented artists from Italy and other countries (e.g. Giambattista Frediani, Michelangelo Palloni, Giovanni Pietro Perti, Giovanni Maria Galli and others). At the request of the most prominent representatives of the Pacai family, the artists created the most valuable monuments of Lithuania's mature Baroque: Pažaislis Kamalduliai Monastery ensemble, Vilnius St. the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the Cathedral of Varnia, two luxurious palaces (Chancellor's and Etemon's) in the capital of Lithuania, they donated luxurious liturgical vestments and vessels, heraldic tapestries to the Vilnius Cathedral.
Vilnius St. The stucco molding used inside the Peter and Paul Church sets it apart in the region. Art historians claim that this is the most northerly church in all of Europe, where stucco molding has been so abundantly used for interior decoration. Some count two thousand, others three thousand sculptures here. In the decoration you can also find characters with their heads cut off, fantastic figures and the already mentioned existentially shocking gilt, which has replaced the signs of government, thus testifying that death makes everyone equal.
At the moment, the exhibition "Pace. Lilies of the Garden of History", which tells about Mykola Kazimieras Pacas and the entire family of Counts Pacas. The exhibition includes portraits of the Great Hetman of Lithuania and the Vilnius Voivodeship, as well as a mace associated with him testifying to chivalry and military campaigns, an army treasury chest, a huge drum (lutaur), typical hussar half-armors of that period, 1673. Images of the Battle of Chotin.
Information about the Museum of the Palace of the Lords
