Church of St. Raphael the Archangel, Vilnius

Church of St. Raphael the Archangel Šv. arkangelo Rapolo bažnyčia
Façade of the church in 2022
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
District	Šnipiškės
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Used as a church
Year consecrated	1702
Location
Location	Vilnius, Lithuania
Geographic coordinates	54°41′34″N 25°16′43.50″E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Hiacintas Ptakas, Jurgis Šikas (initial architects),[1] Jonas Valentas Dyderšteinas (1752)[2]
Type	Church
Style	Baroque
Completed	1709
Materials	plastered masonry

Church of St. Raphael the Archangel (Lithuanian: Šv. arkangelo Rapolo bažnyčia, Polish: Kościół Św. Rafała Archanioła) is a Roman Catholic church in Šnipiškės, Vilnius.^[2][3] Former Jesuits monastery ensemble is located nearby which currently is used by the Department of Cultural Heritage of Lithuania.^[4]

Close to the church there was a wayside shrine, containing a statue of Christ Carrying the Cross. The shrine was built around 1710 during the Great Northern War plague outbreak in Vilnius.^[4]

On 14 August 1904, the first President of the independent Lithuania Antanas Smetona married with Sofija Smetonienė in the Church of St. Raphael.^[4]

Wooden sculpture of Jesus from the demolished Chapel of Jesus of Šnipiškės, which was built in ~1720, was discovered in the basements of the church in 2017 and following a restoration is currently exhibited in the Church Heritage Museum in Vilnius.^[5][6]

Gallery

• 
  Interior of the church and its central altar with painting of St. Raphael
• 
  Church and the wayside shrine, containing a statue of Christ Carrying the Cross in 19th century
• 
  Church and its surroundings in 1898
• 
  Chapel of Jesus of Šnipiškės near the church, photographed before World War II
• 
  Façade of the church and the Jesuits monastery ensemble
• 
  Aerial view in 2023

See also

• List of Jesuit sites

References

1. "Kas ir kodėl perdažė Šv. Rapolo bažnyčią?". Diena.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 16 October 2019.
2. "Vilniaus Šv. Arkangelo Rapolo bažnyčios ir jėzuitų vienuolyno statinių ansamblis". Kvr.kpd.lt. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
3. "Church of St Raphael the Archangel". Vilnius-tourism.lt. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
4. "St. Raphael the Archangel Church". CityofMercy.lt. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
5. "Šnipiškių Jėzus – istorinis, kultūrinis ir religinis Vilniaus akcentas". Bernardinai.lt (in Lithuanian). 1 March 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
6. Dumalakas, Arūnas. "Pradingusį Šnipiškių Jėzų ištraukė iš bažnyčios rūsio". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2 April 2023.