***
Baltics trip
Day 2 - 17th May - Vilnius, Lithuania (Part 1)
Back of the Gates of Dawn. We went during a morning service.
This Black Madonna is more than 500 years old. It and its part of the city wall (the only bit that remains) was not destroyed by Russia, Germany and then the Soviets due to religious reasons.
She is stepping on the Crescent (we saw representations of figures stepping on crescents in churches often). They must really hate the Golden Horde here.
Stuff at the side of the BM
Street from the window
Apparently they didn't like us (racism, hurr hurr) since they were quiet when we were there but started singing immediately once we left.
Church of All Saints
Inside. The Late Baroque Alabaster was, well, cute (not Italian standard - the use of light paled in comparison and emotion was lacking). This was during a service so we scooted quite quickly.
Strange egg, and cork boards as boarding in the background on the houses
[Addendum: The egg was a placeholder to signify the Republic of Užupis. It has since been replaced by the Angel of Užupis (see future post)]
There were a lot of huge... tracts of land.
Choral Synagogue
When we visited it was Shabat, so the synagogue was full and people were in straggly woolen shawls, skull caps and beards. Photography was forbidden normally anyway, so I didn't try because I didn't want to be hexed.
Dog
Church of the Assumption
Unfortunately it was closed, so we peeked in.
YC using his 10x zoom
Me without 10x zoom
Facade. A very spartan Franciscan church, it looks like it just came out of a Nazi-Soviet shootout (small arms only, please)
Truck with French on it
Street
We then went to the Church of the Holy Spirit, decorated Rococo style.
Hallway on approach in
Mural
Nave
Cross with "JNRI" - maybe they learn a different type of Latin here
Chapel
Paintings
Dome
Altar
We then climbed up to the pulpit, which for some reason was accessible.
People from pulpit
Apparently there were many well-preserved corpses in the cellar, but we couldn't find an entrance to the crypt.
You could see the Orthodox influence in the gilt on the icons, and the presence of icons themselves.
Street
Church behind a dump
Street
Demolishing their past
Scaffolding
Grafitti on wall
Church of St Catherine
Men
Church door: "Pro ecclesia triumphanti. Pugnamus in militanti"
Church
Hordes of tourists
Multilingual welcome to fellow adherents of the faith
"SHRINE OF THE DIVINE MERCY... If you have received signal graces through the Divine Mercy (a conversion, deepening of faith, deliverance from a dependency, a spiritual or physical healing, etc.) please inform the resident priest or sisters attending the shrine"
With such vague phrasing I wouldn't be surprised if miracles happened daily.