Lithuania, the last pagan nation in Europe, didn’t adopt Christianity until 1387. Times change: Today’s Lithuania is one of the most religiously devoted nations on the continent.

Between 1920 and 1991, Lithuania was under the control of the Soviet Union. Not surprisingly, these periods of enforced atheism affected the churches of Vilnius, the nation’s capital.

Vilnius will be one of the European Cities of Culture in 2009. Walking around the city, you realize that the history of its churches is also the story of a country and its people.

And this is a good time of year to do just that, as several important events are commemorated. The country celebrates Independence Day from Russia in 1918 on Feb. 16 and the 1990 restoration of its statehood on March 11. And the entire Church celebrates the feast of its patron, St. Casimir, on March 4.

First-time visitors to Cathedral Square in Vilnius might mistake the cathedral, which dates only to the late 18th century, for an ancient Greek temple. Its multi-tiered belfry even looks like a primitive lighthouse.

During the Soviet occupation the cathedral was a museum. It was re-consecrated in 1989, just in time to play a role in the independence movement. Above the columns, the cathedral’s façade is dominated by a statue of St. Helena thrusting a cross skywards. St. Casimir, the country’s patron, stands to the right while St. Stanislaus, patron of Poland, watches from the left. The statues are all copies as the Soviets destroyed the originals. The recently renovated belfry reaches nearly 200 feet into the sky. The lowest tier is believed to be the remains of a Gothic defense tower from a bygone castle.

Also in the city, St. Anne’s church is a red-brick architectural symphony dating to 1582, when the Gothic movement was giving way to the Baroque. For the construction of the church’s façade, 33 types of brick were used. Equally eye-catching are the arches, finials and elegant spires crowned with metal crosses.

Legend has it that Napoleon was so impressed with St. Anne’s external appearance that he wanted to take the whole church back to Paris. The church’s interior isn’t equal to the splendid exterior, which might explain why Napoleon sequestered the church for the use of the French cavalry.

Nearby, the Hill of Three Crosses is, to many, the face of Vilnius. For these three crosses are a symbol of Lithuania’s eventual triumph over a succession of invaders. The current crosses went up in 1990. They replaced the set that was destroyed during the Soviet occupation, which was erected in 1915 to commemorate the Russian withdrawal from Vilnius. An earlier three-cross shrine was destroyed by the Russians in the mid-1860s in retaliation for an uprising in Vilnius.

Hill of Hope

For a similar story of cross-related persistence, albeit on a much larger scale, visitors should go to the Hill of Crosses in northern Lithuania — an easy day trip from Vilnius. (See the photo above.)

More than 50,000 crosses of all sizes are found at this site, which occupies perhaps 6,000 square feet of land spread over two hillocks. It’s a few miles north of Siauliai, Lithuania’s fourth largest city.

The crosses are mainly placed here by devoted Catholics who regard the Hill of Crosses as a place of pilgrimage largely because, in 1993, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at the site. The construction of a Franciscan monastery in 2001 indicates the growing importance of the Hill of Crosses as a spiritual center and mirrors Lithuania’s growing self-belief as an independent country.

Back in Vilnius, the Church of St. Theresa has remained largely untouched since the mid-17th century, when a local painter decorated the interior in a delicate salmon color. This church is the most outstanding example of early Baroque architecture in Vilnius, as no expense was spared in its construction. Marble, Swedish sandstone and granite were all used in abundance.

Between 1763 and 1765, Rococo-style frescoes were added to the interior. The sandstone altar is adorned with sculptures and the relief pediment is in the shape of clouds. Dating from the 1770s, murals depicting scenes from the life of St Theresa decorate the central nave.

Next door is the Madonna of the Gate of Dawn, the most sacred image in Vilnius. It’s housed in a chapel built in 1671 by monks from St. Theresa’s and is a place of pilgrimage for Poles and Lithuanians. As the chapel straddles the street, most locals cross themselves as they walk underneath. The image of the Madonna can be seen from below, but you have to get up close to experience the image’s air of sanctity.

The Madonna is mostly covered by a reflective silver plate, but the chapel’s most memorable features are the thousands of votive plaques left by pilgrims.

Trinitarian Echoes

The Russian-speaking people of Vilnius, who number around 7% of the population, worship at the Church of the Holy Spirit. Small services are conducted in side aisles by the priests on a daily basis. Members of the elderly congregation light candles, recite prayers and discuss problems with the Orthodox priest resplendent in black and purple. The iconostasis, separating the sanctuary from the rest of the church, is reminiscent of a peppermint-colored wedding cake, highlighted by blue and pink tracery.

Founded by the Jesuits in 1604, the church of St. Casimir is the oldest Baroque church in Vilnius. Two hundred years later Napoleon’s army stored grain in the building; the Russians turned it into an Orthodox church in the 1860s.

In World War I, the church underwent another change when the occupying Germans handed the church to the Lutherans. The final insult was foisted on St. Casimir’s when the Soviet Union turned it into the Museum of Atheism after World War II. With all these changes of identity, it should come as no surprise to find out that the inside of the church, re-consecrated in 1987, is lacking in decoration.

The Church of the Holy Trinity was once part of a monastery that housed monks who were followers of St. Basil. This church was also neglected during the Soviet years and is being restored, though it still serves the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic community in Vilnius. The church is reached by passing through the Basilian Gate, which is adorned by an all-seeing-eye symbol within a triangle that represents the Holy Trinity.

Locals claim that there is also a triangle between the Church of Holy Trinity, the Church of the Holy Spirit and St. Theresa’s Church, which represents the connection between the Russian Orthodox, Catholic and Greek-Catholic faiths.

This connection, they say, has allowed Lithuania to overcome all its invasions and outlast all its occupiers. Seeing their faith in action, it’s hard to argue with their logic.

Julian Worker writes from New Westminster, British Columbia.