About the Church
The Church of St Michael the Archangel (Garrison Church) in Kaunas, also known as Kaunas Cathedral, is one of the most striking monuments of Lithuanian architecture. It stands imposingly in Kaunas's New Town, at the centre of a specially shaped square, at the eastern end of Laisvės Avenue. It is not only a religious building but also an important symbol of the city's history.
At the end of the 19th century the site of the present church was still a marsh, where local residents used to hunt ducks. But alongside the construction of the defensive forts of Kaunas Fortress in 1888–1891, a complex of administrative buildings began to rise on this site.
The design for the Church of St Michael the Archangel was drawn up by the military engineer Konstantin Limarenko, and the final version was approved by the Russian Tsar Alexander III. The church was designed as a showpiece structure of the fortress, meant to express splendour and officialdom. Its basilica form was intended to soften confessional hostility and recall the shared origins of Christianity.
Construction of the church began on 29 June 1891, when the foundation stone was consecrated. Building materials were brought from various places: bricks from local brickworks, granite from Finland, and metal parts from Poland. For the first time in Lithuania, a large reinforced-concrete dome was installed in the church, with a diameter of almost 16.3 metres.
The interior decoration of the church was also extremely lavish. The ornate painting was carried out by Russian painters from St Petersburg, and the interior was decorated by the Vilnius artist A. Trejus. The church was rich in Greek-cross motifs, and the iconostasis held as many as 122 paintings. The bells, one of which had been cast as early as 1618 in Königsberg, were hung in the small cupolas.
During the First World War, when German forces occupied Kaunas, the cathedral was used for Evangelical Lutheran services. After the war, in 1919, the cathedral became state property and was handed over to the Kaunas military garrison, at which point it was renamed the Church of St Michael the Archangel.
During the Soviet period the church went through hard times – it was closed, and its premises turned into a branch of the Art Museum. Only after the restoration of independence, in 1991, was the building returned to the Archdiocese of Kaunas. Since then the church has again become a centre of religious life and a symbol of the pastoral care of the Lithuanian armed forces.
Today the Church of St Michael the Archangel is not only an important monument of Kaunas's architecture but also a living history, reflecting the fortunes of the city and the country across the centuries. It houses the museum for the blind "Catacombs of the 21st Century" and a restored organ, whose sound brings back the grandeur of the past.
At the end of the 19th century the site of the present church was still a marsh, where local residents used to hunt ducks. But alongside the construction of the defensive forts of Kaunas Fortress in 1888–1891, a complex of administrative buildings began to rise on this site.
The design for the Church of St Michael the Archangel was drawn up by the military engineer Konstantin Limarenko, and the final version was approved by the Russian Tsar Alexander III. The church was designed as a showpiece structure of the fortress, meant to express splendour and officialdom. Its basilica form was intended to soften confessional hostility and recall the shared origins of Christianity.
Construction of the church began on 29 June 1891, when the foundation stone was consecrated. Building materials were brought from various places: bricks from local brickworks, granite from Finland, and metal parts from Poland. For the first time in Lithuania, a large reinforced-concrete dome was installed in the church, with a diameter of almost 16.3 metres.
The interior decoration of the church was also extremely lavish. The ornate painting was carried out by Russian painters from St Petersburg, and the interior was decorated by the Vilnius artist A. Trejus. The church was rich in Greek-cross motifs, and the iconostasis held as many as 122 paintings. The bells, one of which had been cast as early as 1618 in Königsberg, were hung in the small cupolas.
During the First World War, when German forces occupied Kaunas, the cathedral was used for Evangelical Lutheran services. After the war, in 1919, the cathedral became state property and was handed over to the Kaunas military garrison, at which point it was renamed the Church of St Michael the Archangel.
During the Soviet period the church went through hard times – it was closed, and its premises turned into a branch of the Art Museum. Only after the restoration of independence, in 1991, was the building returned to the Archdiocese of Kaunas. Since then the church has again become a centre of religious life and a symbol of the pastoral care of the Lithuanian armed forces.
Today the Church of St Michael the Archangel is not only an important monument of Kaunas's architecture but also a living history, reflecting the fortunes of the city and the country across the centuries. It houses the museum for the blind "Catacombs of the 21st Century" and a restored organ, whose sound brings back the grandeur of the past.
Gallery and Resources
Archive captions are shown in Lithuanian.
Perspektyvinėje fotografijoje matosi Kauno Šv. arkangelo Mykolo bažnyčia, Nepriklausomybės aikštė, Raudonojo kryžiaus ligoninė ir komendantūra. Aikštėje matosi nedidelė karių rikiuotė. Pusiau blizgi, priklijuota albumo antrame puslapyje.
Nuotrauka. Kaunas ir šv. Arkangelo Mykolo (Įgulos) bažnyčia. Joje Ričardas Mikutavičius klebonavo 1993–1997 m. Tai bazilikinės šventyklos formos statinys. Pagrindinis pastato tūris vientisas (artimas kubui). Jį vainikuoja 5 kupolai – didelis pagrindinis ir 4 mažieji. Nuotraukoje bažnyčia iš kairiosios pusės – matosi du portikai. Fotografuota Zenono Baltrušio. 2005 m. Kaunas.