Kauno Šv. Mikalojaus (Benediktinių) bažnyčia

St Nicholas's Church in Kaunas, also called the Kaunas Benedictine church, is one of the most valuable and oldest sacred buildings in Kaunas. This church stands in the Old Town, on the south-western slope of the Žaliakalnis hill, and is an excellent example of Gothic architecture with a long and rich history.

The church's history began in the 15th century. It is first mentioned in 1495, when Motiejus Valančius reported four plenary indulgences granted to this church. A few years later, in 1503, the church was transferred to the parish church of Kaunas. Around 1528 it was assigned its first priest, but a few years later he left the town and sold the land that had been donated to him.

In 1624 the marshal of Kaunas, Andrius Skorulskis, assigned the church to Benedictine nuns. By 1627 it had been repaired and a wooden convent had been built. This convent was granted lands and the Petrašiūnai farmstead, and later Paštuva together with the village of Kvesai. It is believed that the church suffered damage in 1655, but it was already being repaired by 1663.

In the 18th century the church and convent were enclosed by a massive masonry wall, and in 1782, 22 nuns were living in the convent. Unfortunately, in 1812 the silver liturgical vessels, vestments and other items were removed from the church, and the convent was stripped. At the beginning of the 19th century a masonry convent was built. A covered gallery linking the church to the convent was also constructed.

As the 19th century drew to a close, the authorities obstructed the admission of new members to the convent. Nevertheless, the nuns found ways around these restrictions, secretly admitting new sisters under the names of those who had died. In 1903, among 12 nuns, the eldest was 93 years old and the youngest 65. After 1905 the admission of novices to the convent was no longer forbidden.

During the period of independent Lithuania the nuns ran a boarding house for pupils, a shelter and a kindergarten, held sewing courses and had a workshop for church vestments. In 1938–1939 the church was reconstructed to a design by Liudas Truikys, who decorated the entire interior, while the stained-glass windows were created by the artist Vytautas Pranas Bičiūnas.

After the Second World War, in 1948, the church and convent were closed. The church was turned into a book store, and the convent was partly restored and converted into a dormitory. It was only in 1989 that the books were removed from the church, and in 1990 it was repaired and returned to the faithful.

Architecturally the church has a complex plan, a single tower and a single nave, a Gothic structure with a masonry churchyard fence. This magnificent church is not only an important historical and architectural monument but also a living witness to the prayers, hopes and lives of thousands of people over the centuries.