Church of the Archangel Michael (Kaunas)
The Church of St. Michael the Archangel ( Lithuanian Įgulos bažnyčia ) on Independence Square in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas is a Roman Catholic church building. It was originally built as a Russian Orthodox Church (in the Russian Empire ), which also explains the atypical architectural style for Catholic churches.
history
The church was built in the neo-Byzantine style from 1891 to 1895 as an Orthodox military cathedral for the Russian soldiers, financed by the Russian tsarist house, and was consecrated to Saints Peter and Paul. However, Corinthian columns were also used, which is not exactly typical for Orthodox churches. KH Lymarenko was responsible for the design, but his plans were later changed by David Grimm . The Archangel Church is integrated into the Kaunas fortress, which was built on the orders of Tsar Alexander II . During the First World War , Lutheran services for German soldiers were held here. At the end of the war the church was handed over to the (Catholic) Lithuanian army. After the First World War the church became Catholic.
Before the withdrawal of the German troops, the church was closed and the bells were transported to Germany. From 1962, the church, now under Soviet rule, served as an art gallery, but was able to reopen as a church after Lithuania's independence.
The reinforced concrete dome is the largest dome in Lithuania with a diameter of 16.3 meters. It reaches its maximum height at 50 meters. There are paintings of two archangels or evangelists above the altar . The altar itself is made of glass and depicts God at the heavenly door on a glass painting . The interior was decorated with 122 Greek icons until 1985. There are a total of 12 bells in the four side domes. The church is designed for around 2,000 visitors. There are a total of 266 large and small columns and pilasters in the church .
This mixture of Corinthian columns and Neo-Byzantine architecture was well received by experts, but was never really popular with the population. Sandstone, clay for the cavities and granite were used as building materials.
On August 10, 1996, the Archbishop of Kaunas and Metropolitan Sigitas Tamkevičius appointed the Church for the needs of the Kaunas units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces .
Web links
- way2lithuania.com (English)
Coordinates: 54 ° 53 ′ 49.4 " N , 23 ° 55 ′ 16.5" E