View source for Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vilnius

{{Short description|Roman Catholic archdiocese in Lithuania}}
{{for|the former Eastern Catholic (Byzantine Rite) diocese|Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Vilnius}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox diocese
| jurisdiction      = Archdiocese<!-- Type of jurisdiction: i.e. Diocese or Archdiocese -->
| name              = Vilnius
| latin             = Archidioecesis Vilnensis
| local             = Vilniaus Arkivyskupija
| image             = Vilnius Cathedral Exterior 2, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg
| image_size        = 
| image_alt         = 
| caption           = Cathedral of the Archdiocese
| coat              = 
| coat_size         = 
| coat_alt          = 
| coat_caption      = 
<!---- Locations ---->
| country           = {{flag|Lithuania}}
| territory         = [[Vilnius]]
| province          = [[Vilnius]]
| deaneries         = 
| headquarters      = 
| coordinates       = {{coord|54|54|N|23|57|E|region:LT_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
<!---- Statistics ---->
| area_km2          = 9,644
| area_sqmi         = 3,724
| area_footnotes    = 
| population        = 827,141
| population_as_of  = 2017
| catholics         = 605,108
| catholics_percent = 73.2
| parishes          = 95
| churches          = <!-- Number of churches in the diocese -->
| congregations     = <!-- Number of congregations in the diocese -->
| schools           = <!-- Number of church supported schools in the diocese -->
| members           = <!-- Number of members in the diocese -->
<!---- Information ---->
| denomination      = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| sui_iuris_church  = [[Latin Church]]
| rite              = [[Roman Rite]]
| established       = 14th Century <br><small>(As Diocese of Vilnius)</small><br>28 October 1925<br><small>(As Archdiocese of Vilnius)</small>
| cathedral         = [[Vilnius Cathedral|Cathedral-Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus]]
| cocathedral       = 
| patron            = [[St Casimir]], [[St George]], [[St Nicholas]], [[Bruno of Querfurt]]
| patron_title      = <!-- Use to override the default label "Patron saint" -->
| priests           = 171
<!---- Current leadership ---->
| pope              = {{Incumbent pope}} <!-- DO NOT CHANGE. This will update the Popes Automatically as they change -->
| bishop            = <!-- Name and title of the current ordinary of the diocese -->
| bishop_title      = <!-- Type of ordinary: i.e. Bishop or Archbishop. Default is Bishop -->
| metro_archbishop  = [[Gintaras Grušas]]
| coadjutor         = 
| suffragans        = [[Diocese of Kaišiadorys]]<br>[[Diocese of Panevėžys]]
| auxiliary_bishops = [[Arūnas Poniškaitis]]
| apostolic_admin   = 
| vicar_general     = 
| episcopal_vicar   = 
| judicial_vicar    = 
| archdeacons       = <!-- List most senior first (usually reckoned by date of first collation); use | archdeacon = for one-->
| emeritus_bishops  = [[Audrys Bačkis|Cardinal Audrys Bačkis]]
<!---- Map ---->
| map               = Lituania - Arcidiocesi di Vilnius.png
| map_size          = 250px
| map_alt           = 
| map_caption       = 
<!---- Website ---->
| website           = {{Official website|http://vilnius.lcn.lt/|vilnius.lcn.lt}}
| footnotes         = 
}}

The '''Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Vilnius''' ({{langx|la|Archidioecesis Vilnensis}}; {{langx|lt|Vilniaus arkivyskupija}}) is an ecclesiastical territory or [[diocese]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] in [[Lithuania]]. Established as the '''Diocese of Vilnius''' in the 14th century, it was elevated to the rank of a [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan archdiocese]] by [[Pope Pius XI]] on 28 October 1925. It has two [[Suffragan bishop|suffragan sees]] of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kaišiadorys|Kaišiadorys]] and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Panevėžys|Panevėžys]].

The archdiocese's [[Mother Church|motherchurch]] and thus seat of its archbishop is [[Vilnius Cathedral|Cathedral-Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus]] in [[Vilnius]]; it also houses a minor [[basilica]] in [[Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Trakai|Trakai]]. The current archbishop of Vilnius is [[Gintaras Grušas]]. He is assisted by auxiliary bishops [[Arūnas Poniškaitis]] and Darius Trijonis.

==History==
===Establishment===
[[File:Renaissance coat of arms of the Cathedral Chapter of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vilnius.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Renaissance]] coat of arms of the [[Cathedral chapter]] of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vilnius]]
[[File:CoA Vilnius Bishopric.png|thumb|left|100px|Coat of arms in 1875]]
The Archdiocese owes its foundation to Grand Duke [[Jogaila|Jogaila of Lithuania]], who [[Christianization of Lithuania#Christianization by Jogaila and Vytautas|Christened Lithuania]] in 1387 and sent [[Dobrogost]], Bishop of [[Poznań]] as ambassador to the Pope [[Urban VI]] with a petition for the erection of an [[episcopal see]] at Vilnius and the appointment of [[Andrzej Wasilko]] (former bishop of [[Siret]] and confessor of [[Elisabeth of Poland|Elisabeth of Hungary]]) to fill it. This was granted and the foundation of a collegiate church of ten canons authorized. Under Wasilko's rule, the churches of [[John the Evangelist|Saint John]], that became the parish church of the city, as well as of [[Martin of Tours|Saint Martin]] and [[Saint Anne]] (in the [[Vilnius Castle Complex|Upper and the Lower Castle]], respectively) were erected in Vilnius. Upon Wasilko's death in 1398, he was succeeded by a [[Franciscan]], [[Jakub Plichta]] (1398–1407), in whose time the [[Vilnius Cathedral|Cathedral]] perished in fire. Among his successors were: [[Piotr Krakowczyk]] of [[Kustynia]] (1414–1421), whom Pope [[Martin V]] invested with full powers to bring back the Orthodox of Lithuania to the Catholic Church; [[Matthias of Trakai]] (1421–1453), a Lithuanian, who sent representatives to the [[Council of Florence|Council of Basel]] and set up the [[Inquisition]] to combat the [[Hussites]], founded many churches and strenuously defended the rights and privileges of the [[Lithuanians]]. Under Jan Łosowicz (1467–1481) many [[Ruthenians]] were converted to Catholicism and the Franciscan [[Bernardine of Siena|Bernardine]]s were established at Vilnius. Albert Tabor, a Lithuanian, invited the [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]] to Vilnius and entrusted to them the Church of the Holy Spirit; [[Albert Radziwiłł]] (1508–1519) died in the [[odour of sanctity]]; John the Lithuanian (1519–1537) held the first diocesan synod at Vilnius in 1526; Prince [[Paweł Holszański]] (1534–1555) restored his cathedral in the Gothic style and held a synod in 1555; [[Walerian Protasewicz]] Suszkowski (1556–1580) had to contend for the [[celibacy]] of the clergy and the use of [[Latin]] in the Liturgy; he brought the [[Jesuits]], among whom was [[Piotr Skarga]], to Vilnius.

===Reformation===
Prince [[Jerzy Radziwiłł (1556–1600)|Jerzy Radziwiłł]] (1581–1591) fostered the ''[[Vilnius University|Alma Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Iesu]]'', founded a seminary, under the direction of the Jesuits, introduced the regulations of the [[Council of Trent]], and having been made a cardinal, was transferred to the [[Diocese of Kraków]] in 1591. The chapter then entrusted the administration of the diocese to the suffragan bishop, Ciprian. At his death in 1594, the clergy were divided into factions on the choice of a successor, until [[Sigismund III]] nominated Benedict Wolna (1600–1615), who exerted himself efficaciously for the canonization of [[Saint Casimir]] Jagiellon, in whose honour the first stone of a church was laid it Vilnius in 1604. He succeeded in his efforts to have St. Casimir regarded as [[patron saint]] of Lithuania. His successor, Eustachius Wollowicz (1616–1630), founded hospitals, invited the [[Canons Regular of the Lateran]] to Vilnius, and energetically combated the Protestants and the Orthodox. [[Abraham Woyna]] (1631–1649) introduced the [[Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God|Fatebene Brethren]] and strenuously opposed [[Calvinism]]. [[Jerzy Tyszkiewicz]] (1650–1656) annexed the whole of [[Courland]] to his diocese. [[Aleksander Sapieha]] (1666–1671) founded the [[St. Peter and St. Paul's Church in Vilnius|Church of Saints Peter and Paul]], taking St. Peter's for his model. The diocese then comprised 25 deaneries with 410 churches. Constantius Casimir Brzostowski (1687–1722) brought the [[Piarists]] to Vilnius and encouraged the development of the religious orders. In the episcopate of Michael Zienkowicz (1730–1762), conflicts between the Jesuits and the Piarists arose, resulting in the closing of Piarist schools. Prince [[Ignacy Jakub Massalski]] (1762–1794) encouraged the reform of the clergy and devoted his immense fortune to the churches of his diocese.

===Under the Russian Empire===
After the [[partitions of Poland|partitions of Poland–Lithuania]], the Diocese of Vilnius became part of the [[Russian Empire]] and no longer enjoyed freedom of relations with the Holy See but many Catholics supported the Russian government after Bishop of Vilnius [[Ignacy Jakub Massalski]] was hanged in 1794 by the revolutionaries of the [[Kościuszko Uprising]]. In 1795 the chapter nominated David Pilchowski [[vicar]] ''in spiritualibus''. [[Livonia]] was added to the diocese, and John Nepomucene Kossakowski (1798–1808) was appointed bishop. He did much for the prosperity of the seminary. After his death the chapter became involved in a conflict with [[Stanisław Bohusz Siestrzeńcewicz]], the Catholic Metropolitan [[Archbishop of Mohilev]] (from 1798 to 1925 Vilnius was a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Mohilev, the effective see was in [[Saint Petersburg]]), who used his metropolitan rights and forced, upon the chapter, the nominee of [[Hieronim Stroynowski]] as administrator and later Bishop (1808–1815), upon whose death he arrogated to himself the government of the diocese with the title of [[primate (bishop)|primate]] of Lithuania.

In 1827, after Siestrzencewicz's death, the [[vicar capitular]], Milucki, ruled the diocese for a short time. In 1828 Andreas Klagiewicz was appointed administrator; he was sent to the interior of Russia during the [[November Uprising|Insurrection of 1831]], returned in 1832, was preconized Bishop of Vilnius in 1839 and took possession of the see on June 28, 1841. He died the same year, after witnessing the ruin of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church|Ruthenian Uniat Church]] in his diocese. The chapter elected John Cywinski as vicar suffragan; he saw the [[University of Vilnius]] closed, the clergy and churches of his diocese despoiled of their property. In 1848 he was succeeded by Wenceslaus Zylinski, who was transferred in 1856 to the metropolitan see of [[Mohilev]], but continued to govern his former diocese until 1858.

Adam Stanislaus Krasinski was expelled from the diocese in consequence of the [[January Uprising|Insurrection of 1863]], but nevertheless continued to govern the diocese until 1883, when he withdrew to [[Kraków]]. His successor, Charles Hrynieweki, was exiled to [[Jaroslav]] after two years of the episcopate, and in 1890 abdicated and withdrew to [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]]. During his exile Ludovic Zdanowicz governed the diocese as vicar patriarchal. In 1890 Anthony Francis Audziewicz, a canon of Saint Petersburg and a learned theologian, was appointed Bishop of Vilnius. He died in 1895; the diocese was then governed by Louis Zdanowicz, [[titular Bishop]] of [[Dionysias]]. In 1897 Canon Stephen Alexander Zwerowicz succeeded, and was transferred in 1902 to the See of [[Sandomierz|Sandomir]]. His place was taken by Baron [[Eduard von der Ropp|Edward Ropp]], who set about organizing the Catholic movement in the diocese, thereby incurring the hostility of the Russian Government. Bishop Ropp having been banished to [[Pskov]], the diocese was entrusted to Casimir Nicholas Michalkiewicz as [[administrator Apostolic]].

==Other activities==

The [[bishops of Vilnius]], presiding over a vast diocese and being [[senator]]s and members of the [[Council of Lords]] of Lithuania, could not give all their attention to the spiritual necessities of their flock; hence, from the fifteenth centuries they had [[coadjutor]]s or [[auxiliary Bishop]]s. Many of these, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries, were titular bishops of [[Methoni, Messenia]] (on the [[Peloponnesus]]). Among the most famous may be mentioned George Casimir Ancuta (d. 1737), author of "Jus plenum religionis catholicae in regno Poloniaw", showing that the Protestants and Orthodox had not the same rights as the Catholics. Beginning from the seventeenth century there were also auxiliary Bishops for [[Belarus]]. In 1798 [[Pius VI]] recognized the ancient See of [[Brest-Litovsk]] as "suffragan" of Vilnius. So also the ancient Diocese of [[Livonia]], suppressed in 1797, had become annexed to Vilnius, and in 1798 had for its first auxiliary bishop Adam Kossiafkowski (titular Bishop of Limira, died 1828) but after 1848 it was annexed to the [[Diocese of Samogitia]] (in [[Lithuania proper]]).

The flourishing Catholic life of the Diocese of Vilnius is attested by the large number of [[synod]]s held there. The first of these was in 1502, under Bishop Tabor. Then followed the synods of 1526, for the reform of manners and the organization of the parochial schools; of 1528, to collect funds for the restoration of the cathedral; of 1555, to oppose the spread of [[Lutheranism]]; of 1582; of 1607, which made many regulations for the administration of the sacraments and the discipline of the clergy; of 1630, regulating the administration of ecclesiastical property; of 1654, to aid the state with new imposts; of 1669 with its disciplinary regulations; of 1685, with ordinances relating to the administration of the sacraments and the life of the clergy; of 1744, with regulations in regard to the [[catechism]], mixed marriages and spiritual exercises. After the synod of 1744, under Bishop Michael Zienkowicz, no others were held, but the bishops addressed to their clergy pastoral letters, some of them of notable import.

==Churches==
[[Image:Fcanciscan Church Vilnius.jpg|thumb|Franciscan Church, one of the oldest in Vilnius]]
The diocese possesses splendid churches and venerable sanctuaries. Of the former the largest and most beautiful are in Vilnius, although many, violently wrested from the Catholics, became Russian Orthodox churches. The [[Vilnius Cathedral|cathedral]], dedicated to the [[Blessed Trinity]], [[Stanislaus of Szczepanów|St. Stanislaus]] and [[St. Ladislaus]], was erected in the place of a demolished pagan sanctuary in virtue of a [[Papal Bull]] of 12 March 1387. Burned down in 1399, it was rebuilt in the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic style]] in 1399 by Grand Duke [[Vytautas]]; again destroyed in 1531 and 1662, its restoration was begun in 1769 and finished in 1801. It contains splendid chapels, especially those of [[St. Casimir]] and of the [[Immaculate Conception]].

Other important churches are those of the [[Holy Cross Church, Vilnius|Holy Cross]], allegedly founded in the fourteenth century on the spot where, according to the legend from the [[Bychowiec Chronicle]], [[Franciscan martyrs of Vilnius|fourteen Franciscans were martyred]] by the pagans in 1366; the Church of [[Martin of Tours|Saint Martin]], founded by [[Jogaila]] in 1380, built on the ruins of an ancient pagan temple; [[St. Anne]], founded for the Germans by [[Anna, Grand Duchess of Lithuania|Anna]], the consort of [[Vytautas]], in 1392; [[St. John the Evangelist]], founded in 1386 and enriched with privileges by [[Leo X]]; Corpus Domini, founded by the [[Archconfraternity of the Blessed Sacrament]] in 1573; and the Church of the [[Guardian Angels]].

To these must be added the numerous churches of the religious order, which flourished in Lithuania, but of which few traces remain. The [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], who in the fifteenth century had a church dedicated to the Holy Spirit, built in 1679–1688 another, which in 1844 was given up by them and transformed into a parish church. The [[Cistercians|Bernardines]] undertook at Vilnius, in 1469, the construction of a wooden church, rebuilt in stone in 1500; it was burnt down in 1794 and restored in 1900; this order was forced to leave the diocese in 1864. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul was given to the [[Lateran Canons]] in 1638; they abandoned it in 1864. St. Casimir, with the annexed Jesuit college, founded in 1604, was turned into an Orthodox church in 1832 (it was returned to the Jesuits in the 1920s). [[St. Ignatius Loyola]], founded by the [[Jesuits]] in 1622, became the club of the officials. The [[Carmelite]] Church of [[Teresa of Ávila|St. Teresa]] has a miraculous image of the Madonna. The [[Augustinians]], [[Trinitarians]], [[Brigittines]], Carmelite Sisters, Piarists, [[Visitandines]] and others also had churches, to which must be added numerous chapels.

[[Image:St Joseph Church demolition.jpg|thumb|180 px|The Church of Saint Joseph being demolished by the order of authorities in Vilnius, 1877]]
After the [[January Uprising|Insurrection of 1863]], the diocese saw all its religious violently expelled. The monasteries were converted into barracks, the churches given to the Orthodox or the secular clergy, the libraries dispersed, the possessions of the religious confiscated. In 1910 there remained only one monastery of [[Benedictine]] Sisters (connected with the Church of St. Catherine at Vilnius) with six septuagenarian nuns, a Bernardine convent at [[Slonim]] with four septuagenarian nuns, a Franciscan monastery at [[Grodno]] with a single friar and in the same city a convent of Brigittine Sisters with two religious.

On October 28, 1925 the old bishopric, then in Poland, was promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese, with only two [[suffragan]]s: the [[diocese of Łomża]] and the [[diocese of Pinsk]], until 1991. In 1991–1992 the Polish parts of the old bishopric became separate dioceses, under the new [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Białystok]].

==Statistics==
In the early 20th century the Roman Catholic diocese of Vilnius had 1,420,000 faithful distributed among 23 rural deaneries as follows:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Deanery
!Parishes
!Parishioners
|-
|[[Białystok]]
|20
|101,761
|-
|[[Bielsk Podlaski|Bielsk]]
|20
|66,125
|-
|[[Brest, Belarus|Brest]]
|3
|14,212
|-
|[[Dzisna]]
|15
|66,536
|-
|[[Giedraičiai]]
|13
|58,813
|-
|[[Grodno]]
|20
|58,116
|-
|[[Kobryn]]
|2
|7,925
|-
|[[Lida]]
|14
|65,100
|-
|[[Merkinė]]
|20
|82,948
|-
|[[Pastavy|Nadwilejski]]
|8
|41,053
|-
|[[Ashmyany]]
|11
|61,032
|-
|[[Pruzhany|Prwjany]]
|7
|11,648
|-
|[[Radun, Belarus|Radun]]
|15
|83,451
|-
|[[Slonim]]
|7
|30,337
|-
|[[Sokółka]]
|14
|75,709
|-
|[[Švenčionys]]
|19
|93,716
|-
|[[Swir]]
|11
|48,266
|-
|[[Trakai]]
|20
|88,856
|-
|Vilnius (City)
|30 churches and chapels
|141,104
|-
|Vilnius (District)
|9
|52,690
|-
|[[Vilejka]]
|10
|35,783
|-
|[[Vishnyeva|Wisniew]]
|15
|83,900
|-
|[[Wolkowysk]]
|16
|58,825
|}
Besides the cathedral parish the city of Vilnius contains those of St. John Baptist, the Holy Spirit, St Teresa, Saints Philip and James, St. Raphael the Archangel, St. Francis of Assisi, All Saints, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The Catholic population of the city was only 96,000. Dependent upon the parish of St. Teresa is the chapel of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Ostrobrama, the centre of many pilgrimages in Lithuania, and venerated also by the Orthodox; its miraculous image stands upon an arch, and the street which passes under this arch is occupied at all hours of the day by a crowd of prostrate suppliants; anyone passing under the arch{{spaced ndash}}even Hebrews{{spaced ndash}}traditionally uncovers the head in token of reverence.

The secular clergy numbered about 440 priests; the cathedral chapter 5 prelates and 3 canons. The secular clergy are educated in the seminary, which has 15 professors and 160 students when founded in 1582, closed in 1862; reopened in 1872, and had but two students, but their number gradually increased. At Brest there was a [[minor seminary|petit seminaire]], which was closed in 1830; the seminary at Białystok was closed in 1842. The clergy always exerted a beneficial influence upon popular education. At the beginning of the nineteenth century twenty-five parochial elementary schools were in operation at Vilnius; schools and colleges were conducted by the [[Jesuits]], [[Uniates]], [[Order of Saint Basil the Great|Basilians]], [[Piarists]], and other religious orders. The monastic libraries were centres of culture; as late as the seventeenth century there were 101 monasteries in Lithuania. The library of the Missionaries of Vilnius contained 8284 volumes; that of the Piarists, 7000; that of the Bernardines, 4142. The University of Vilnius possessed 20,000 volumes of theology, part of which were given to the [[Catholic Theological Academy of St. Petersburg]], to the [[Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv|University of Kyiv]] (Ukraine) and to the Public Library of Vilnius.

The [[Vilnius region]] has a large [[Polish minority in Lithuania|Polish minority]] (26% of [[Vilnius county]] population) <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070929124411/http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/pages/view/?id=1732]. Polish activists from [[Association of Poles in Lithuania]].</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150113021239/http://www.magwil.lt/archiwum/2005/wmw-10/pazd-3.htm Association "Polish Community"], magwil.lt. Accessed 29 February 2024.</ref><ref>[http://www.wspolnota-polska.org.pl/index.php?id=p40314 Claims of conflicts between Lithuanian clergy and ethnic Poles], wspolnota-polska.org. Accessed 29 February 2024.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Bishops of Vilnius]]
*[[Diocese of Inflanty]]
*[[Roman Catholicism in Lithuania]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Vilna}}

==External links==
*[http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/viln0.htm GCatholic.org]
*[http://vilnius.lcn.lt/ Archdiocesan website (in Lithuanian)]
*[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dviln.html Catholic-Hierarchy]

{{RC dioceses of Lithuania}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Roman Catholic dioceses established in the 14th century]]
[[Category:Christianity in Vilnius]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic dioceses in Lithuania|Vilnius]]