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The 19th century graveyard 500 m east of St Peter & St Paul, tightly packed with the funerary art of the city's notables. It's atmospheric going on unkempt, and the two chapels are in a poor state. Its name means "sunny" but it was only called this from 1945, from the adjacent Saulės gatve.
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The first church from around 1500 was wooden and burned down, and its successor was wrecked in the 1650s in the war with Russia. The present building was commissioned by Michał Kazimierz Pac (1624-82), begun in 1668 but only completed in 1704 after his death. The exterior is fairly plain, but inside is baroque run riot.
In use from 1828 to the 1940s - though it was called "New Cemetery" as the first (north of River Neris) was established in the 15th century. The Soviets made sure to destroy both plus the synagogue, so what remains here is a memorial made of old tombstones. A new-new cemetery is now in the northwest district of Šeškinė.
A monument to seven Franciscan friars supposedly beheaded here by pagans, while seven more were crucified then thrown in the river. The story is nonsense, but Lithuania was the last European country to convert to Christianity, and there was indeed conflict. King Mindaugas was baptised in 1250 but the country as a whole didn't convert until 1485 when the Duchy united with Poland. Wooden crosses have been erected on the hill since the early 17th century. They needed periodic replacement, until the Tsarists stamped out the practice in 1869. Concrete crosses were built in 1916, got rid of by the Soviets in 1950, and re-built in 1989.
Taikomosios dailės ir dizaino muziejus
This arsenal in the Lower Castle was built in the 15th century and stored heavy artillery. It's now part of the National Museum, displaying the country's pre-history and early history until the arrival of Christianity in the 11th century.
This arsenal in the Lower Castle was built in the 15th century and stored heavy artillery. It's now part of the National Museum, displaying the country's pre-history and early history until the arrival of Christianity in the 11th century.
This is the Upper Castle of a complex of three built from the 13th century, much bashed about, and abandoned from the 16th. (The Lower Castle became the site of the Arsenal, Palace and Cathedral, and the "Crooked Castle" was destroyed in 1394.) You can ascend the cobbled lane and enter the courtyard free for views of the city, and the Three Crosses on the hill east. The ducal palace east side of the courtyard is just a shell, converted into a performance space. West side is the three storey red brick tower, now a museum.