EXHIBITION "CHRISTIANITY IN LITHUANIAN ART"
(28 December, 1999 - 31 December, 2003)

THE REFORMATION MOVEMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON LITHUANIA

The sixteenth century was a complex period for the Christian World. European society was falling into discontent with stagnation of religious life and with increasing promiscuity of the clergy accompanied by their excessive power. This stirred up a reform of the Catholic doctrine. Formal beginning of the Reformation was the declaration of ninety-five Theses by the German theologian Martin Luther (1483-1546) in 1517. The Augustinian friar challenged the Church scholars into a public discussion of the faith issues that were of concern to the society on the whole. When these discussions gained impetus, they brought up suggestions to establish a new Church organization. Gradually the Reformation movement expended into a broad political movement that was actively supported by a part of lay princes.

Protestantism as a new branch of Christianity, sprang out of the Reformation movement. One of the key tenets of Protestant Christianity was a closer Man-God relationship and attempts to return to the forms of life by the early Christians. The encouragement to discover the message of the Bible for themselves partially accounts for the differences in the faith of Protestant denominations.

Gradually, the ideas of the Reformation engulfed Scandinavia, France, Czechoslovakia, England, so the Catholic Church lost one third of Europe. In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the reform of the Church was first grounded in the ideas by Martin Luther. The families of nobility, such as the Radvilos, Kesgailos, Kiskos, Sapiegos supported Lutheranism. On the side of Lutheranism were also the young gentry, Abraomas Kulvietis, Jurgis Zablockis, Stanislovas Rapolionis who returned from their studies in Cracow, Leipzig and Wittenberg, later on to become famous Lithuanian humanists and scholars. In several years, Calvinist stream also reached Lithuania and started spreading very rapidly. In hope to establish a reformed national church based on the teaching by Jean Calvin (1509-1564) the Calvinists or Evangelical Reformats, as they were called in Lithuania, attracted numerous families of nobility, influential civil servants and a part of towns’ aristocracy. The success of Calvinism in Lithuania was largely determined by the dukes Radvilos’ conversion to this stream and their active support.

In Lithuania, the Reformation should be merited for nourishing civic behaviour patterns manifested by the rich laity, who supported the churches, as well as schools, book publishing and printing houses. One of the most influential figures of Lithuanian Reformation was Duke Mikalojus Radvila the Black (1515-1565) who held the positions of Vilnius chief, chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and governor of Livonia. In 1563, by his command, a translation of the Bible into Polish was printed in Brest for the use of all Lithuanian and Polish Evangelical Reformat churches (the Biblia swieta is on display in the opening room on the ground floor of the exposition). Though the Calvinists failed to establish a highest education school in Vilnius, they ran primary and higher secondary provision schools in Vilnius, Birzai, Kedainiai and other places in Lithuania.

Protestantism in Europe stirred up public and national awareness. Preaching the word of the Lord in the vernacular was, probably, the most attractive feature of the Reformation movement. Liturgical books of all Protestant denominations include the Bible, catechism, hymnals with prayer book and collections of sermons. Translation of the Bible into German by Martin Luther was the key event in German literature of the period, his religious hymns in clear and vivid German laid the foundations for standard German. It was an inspiring and catching example. It was not by accident that the first Lithuanian book catechism by the Lutheran priest Martynas Mazvydas (Martinus Mosvidius, ~ 1510-1563), which was put together and printed in Königsberg became a primer of Lithuanian (the Catechismvsa prasty szadei is on display in the opening room on the ground floor).

The Reformation movement, initiated by Martin Luther and supported by the German princes found a fertile soil in East Prussia, since the Teutonic Order which ruled this country over three centuries did not take care to instil Christian tenets to the local populace. The areas inhabited by Lithuanians were almost religiously uncultivated lands, so the ideas of Reformation found quick appeal among the people, especially since they came along with books and provision offered in the native tongue by newly established schools. The last Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Albert of Brandenburg (1490-1568), became a secular duke and a patron of Reformation. He aspired to transform Königsberg University founded by him in 1544 into a school offering highest education for Poland, Livonia and Lithuania alongside with Prussia. He encouraged the youth to study in the country under his rule since he saw that local enlightened people were needed to carry out the mission of the Reformation. They did fulfil their mission by working as pastors in different parishes, by preaching, translating and writing hymns and publishing prayer books. Of those most important figures who stood at the sources of written Lithuanian or contributed largely to its further development, are Jonas Bretkunas (1536-1602), his Postilla is on display in the opening room on the ground floor, Lasar Sengstock (1562-1621), Danielius Kleinas (1609-1666), Pilypas Ruigys (1675-1749), Adam Schimmelpfennig (1699-1763), Kristijonas Donelaitis (1714-1780), Liudvikas Reza (1776-1840), Fridrikas Kursaitis (1806-1884), Jonas Pipiras (1833-1912), Vydunas (1868-1953) and other writers, editors and publishers.

The Evangelization movement of Lithuanians in East Prussia animated Catholics of Lithuania. In 1595, a translation of catechism by Mikalojus Dauksa was published in Vilnius; the year of 1599 saw translation of Postilla catholicka (on display in the opening room on the ground floor). Cultural rivalry between Protestants and Catholics was also felt in the arena of education. By the joint efforts of Vilnius bishop Valerijonas Protasevicius and the Jesuit friars who arrived to Vilnius on his invitation, a Jesuit Collegium was founded in Vilnius (1569). In 1579, it was re-organized into a university and control over the highest education in the country passed into the hand of the Jesuits. Soon they introduced Lithuanian sermons across all churches. This led to decline of the Reformation in Lithuania. When Lithuanian and Polish rulers, like Stephen Bathory, Sigismund Vasa and John Casimir Vasa embraced Catholicism, most of the nobility followed the suit and returned to the old faith. The son of Mikalojus Radvila the Black, Jurgis Radvila, became bishop of Vilnius and Cracow and the first Lithuanian cardinal.

In spite of all the losses, the Evangelical Reformat Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church still exists in Lithuania. Vilnius boasts two beautiful Protestant churches. One of them was built in 1624 on the intersection of Vokieciu and Sv. Mikalojaus streets. The construction of the church was funded by burgomaster Jokubas Gybelis. In 1744, it was reconstructed by one of the most famous architects of Vilnius Late Baroque Jonas Kristupas Glaubicas (Glaubitz). The church of Evangelical Reformats on Pylimo street was designed by professor Karolis Podcasinskis and represents Vilnius’ Classicism, in 1835 it replaced a wooden church. Impressive Protestant churches in Birzai and Kedainiai have preserved the memory of Protestant aspirations by the Dukes Radvilos. Churches of Papilys, Kelme, Nemunelio Radviliskis are of archaeological and historical interest too.

One historical fact to be remembered: in 1926, Vilnius University hosted a huge exhibition of church art, ancient books and manuscripts from the collection of the Lithuanian Evangelical Reformats Synod. Though the collection survived the WW II, after the war it was divided between several cultural institutions, while the building of the famous Synod library and archives in the very centre of Vilnius was left to decay. The conditions were and continue to be very unfavourable for investigation of Protestant art heritage in Lithuania. Therefore current exhibits are few and humble. The exhibition features two gilt silver chalices of simple décor by Konigsberg’s goldsmiths from the seventeenth century, also tin sarcophagus of Elzbieta Radvilaite (1622-1626) from Kedainiai church, a piece of fine work featuring late Renaissance ornamentation. Metal tops of the crosses and krikštai, memorial monuments of Lithuanians from East Prussia who were under cultural influence of Protestantism, are also included as well as the books written and published by the Lithuanians who lived in Lithuania Minor or Protestants who left Lithuania Major.

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