Location Vilnius Denomination Roman Catholic Church | Country Lithuania | |
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Similar Dominican Church of the Holy, Isganytojo baznycia, Church of All Saints - Vilnius, Sv Kryziaus baznycia, Vilniaus (Kalvarijos) Sv Kryzia | ||
The Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Lithuanian: Šv. Ignoto katedra) also called Church of St. Ignatius (Šv. Ignoto bažnyčia) It is a religious building of the Catholic Church that serves as the cathedral of the military ordinariate in Lithuania, is located in the capital, Vilnius.
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The first Jesuits arrived in Vilnius in 1602, they opened an internship in the city, and began construction of the church of St. Ignatius in 1622 in Baroque style. The church was consecrated by Archbishop Lubartowicz Sanguszko in 1647. The fire of 1748 that devastated Vilnius deeply marked the historic city center and numerous historic buildings, including the church of St. Ignatius, had to be rebuilt or undergoing restoration work in late Baroque style.
In 1925 the church became a place of worship for the Polish garrison and the interior was renovated with new fresh, instead of the old decorations that were lost. The church was closed in 1945 when Vilnius was incorporated into the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, and used as a cinema and a concert hall of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the city, while the first university became a technical library. After the dissolution of the USSR The church returned to the Archdiocese of Vilnius, was restored in 2002 and 2003 and no longer holds any decoration of its prestigious past.
On 23 November 2004, the church was elevated to cathedral to the Military Ordinariate in Lithuania.