Tytuvėnai Monastery

The Bernardines built at Tytuvėnai from 1618, and the complex that grew over the following century and a half is unusually large: the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a monastery with a two-storey cloister around a courtyard, a chapel of the Holy Steps in which pilgrims climb a stair on their knees, and a further courtyard beyond, the whole thing enclosed and interconnected. Frescoes cover the cloister vaults. A serious fire in 2012 destroyed part of the roof and restoration followed. The town beside it sits between two lakes in the Tytuvėnai regional park, with forest and marked trails. It is one of the more substantial pieces of Baroque monastic architecture in the country and receives relatively few visitors.

History

In 1609 Andrius Valavičius bought the manor and town, and in 1613 he invited Bernardine monks, giving them 10,000 gold pieces. The frescoes and altars were finished by 1740, and between 1764 and 1788 the monastery was rebuilt in the Vilnius Baroque style it keeps today (Wikipedia, Tytuvėnai Monastery).

What to look for

• The two-storey cloister - the arcaded courtyard with painted vaults.
• The Holy Steps chapel - the stair pilgrims climb on their knees.
• The Baroque church - the monastery's main building.
• The lake setting - the town and park between two waters.

When to go

May to September, when the complex keeps fuller hours and the park around is walkable. Guided access to the cloisters and upper rooms is worth arranging. Winter hours are short.

Good to know

Access to the cloisters and the Holy Steps often needs a guide or a booked tour rather than walking in. Restoration after the 2012 fire is visible. Interpretation is largely in Lithuanian. The town has few facilities.

Nearby

Šiluva lies southeast; Kurtuvėnai is north.

Key facts