The remains of St Nicodemus’ Church

Series ‘Old Vilnius’, 1926, fascicle II.

The remains of the Church of St Joseph and St Nicodemus still exist in the courtyard at 16 Aušros Vartų St. The church and a hospice were founded there in 1625 by the Bishop of Vilnius, Eustachy Wołłowicz, and the Jesuits, for the Brotherhood of St Joseph and St Nicodemus. The brotherhood looked after the poor, and nursed and buried victims of the plague. The Brotherhood of Vilnius Beggars carried out its activities under the auspices of the hospice. At first, the church was a wooden one, and it burnt down in the fire that raged through the city in 1748. A new stone church and chapel were built in 1758. By the end of the 18th century, the brotherhood had disappeared, and the church was closed. At the beginning of the 19th century, its remains were incorporated into a house. Hoppen portrayed the remains of the church, with its high chapel, and thus immortalised the place. For a long time, a street near the church was called St Nicodemus St, but in the Soviet period it was renamed Lapų St, and its history was erased from the local memory.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA II (2015). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė)

Series ‘Old Vilnius’, 1926, fascicle II.

The remains of the Church of St Joseph and St Nicodemus still exist in the courtyard at 16 Aušros Vartų St. The church and a hospice were founded there in 1625 by the Bishop of Vilnius, Eustachy Wołłowicz, and the Jesuits, for the Brotherhood of St Joseph and St Nicodemus. The brotherhood looked after the poor, and nursed and buried victims of the plague. The Brotherhood of Vilnius Beggars carried out its activities under the auspices of the hospice. At first, the church was a wooden one, and it burnt down in the fire that raged through the city in 1748. A new stone church and chapel were built in 1758. By the end of the 18th century, the brotherhood had disappeared, and the church was closed. At the beginning of the 19th century, its remains were incorporated into a house. Hoppen portrayed the remains of the church, with its high chapel, and thus immortalised the place. For a long time, a street near the church was called St Nicodemus St, but in the Soviet period it was renamed Lapų St, and its history was erased from the local memory.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA II (2015). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė)