Day 4: Vilnius - The Old City

In Vilnius we stayed at a former convent that had been converted to a hotel; that really set the tone of the old part of the city. There had once been hundreds of places of worship in Vilnius, today there are still over 50. We spent the better part of a very cold morning visiting a few of these different churches. As in many other old European cities, religious sites are very important and can help to understand the city's history. We visited a Uniate church, a Russian Orthodox church, Catholic church, as well as a Protestant church. The Uniate church combines Catholicism and Orthodoxy by recognizing the Pope in Rome but incorporating many orthodox rituals. This type of religion really only exists in these regions of Eastern Europe, such as the Baltics, where Russian occupation has occurred. The other thing I found very interesting was the fact that historically, the Baltic countries, Lithuania in particular, have long standing pagan roots. Despite all that has changed through centuries of occupations, by the Swedes, the Germans, and the Russians, the pagan heritage of the Lithuanian people is still visible today. Not only do they still celebrate events of nature, such as the summer solstice with their Midsummer festivities, but even in their adoption of Christianity, syncretism was required. In order to adopt the Christian saints, they had to be understood with the mentality that they served as replacements for the pagan gods and goddesses that the people were familiar with. Even in one small chapel we visited, the entire ceiling was covered in natural themes representing Lithuania's pagan traditions.

Gate to the outer part of the city. God's eye protects all within the wall.

Carvings of pagan woodland spirits outside a craftsman's shop.