VILNIUS
Lithuania
PERSONAGES
Kristupas Zigmantas Paucas
The Pacas became an elite family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the second half of the 17th century, when the most important secular and ecclesiastical positions in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania fell into the hands of their brothers and cousins. Kristupas Zigmantas Pacas was one of the most active Lithuanian statesmen of the 17th century. While living in Italy, K. Z. Pacas was intimately acquainted with the life of Camaldolese monks. He was fascinated by it and the beauty of the monasteries and decided to build a similar monastery in Lithuania.
Christopher Sigismund Pacas
The Pažaislis founders, Christopher Sigismund Pacas, wife was a Frenchwoman from the court of Maria Ludwika Gonzaga, Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania. The marriage of K. Z. Pacas to an influential Frenchwoman in the royal court, enabled him to obtain the position of Grand Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1658. His wife thus became the de facto First Lady of Lithuania. Clara Isabelle de Mailly Lascaris made a significant contribution to the promotion of Lithuanian culture: supported the activities of monasteries and artists, taught women, introduced new fashion trends.
Memento mori
Camaldolese monks followed the strict Rule of Saint Benedict, took a vow of silence and lived a reclusive life, which is why legends have often circulated about their lifestyle. When they met, they were said to remind each other of their impending death with the phrase memento mori. This phrase was also said to have been heard in the Pažaislis Monastery, as it was intended to reinforce the reflection on existential transience and to bring one closer to dedication to one's purpose.
WHAT TO EAT
Bread
Following the example of the hermits, the Camaldolese fasted regularly - twice a week and before major feasts. During the fast, they ate bread and drank water once a day. Outside of the fasting period, two meals a day were eaten. The Camaldolese, like some other monasteries following the Rule of Saint Benedict, did not use meat from mammals or poultry for food. In addition to the daily bread, soups were cooked and fish, cheese, eggs, vegetables and fruit were eaten. However, bread was the monks' staple dish and, to this day, you can still taste it at the Monte Pacis restaurant in the Pažaislis Monastery, baked according to the old Camaldolese recipes.
Vegetables
The monks lived in cells. Each cell had a small fenced garden where the monks could garden. The monastery also shared two large walled gardens, which were said to produce the best vegetables in the area for the monks' cooking. Today, the restaurant at Pažaislis Monastery still follows the old traditions and grows the vegetables it serves to its guests. Visitors to the restaurant can taste natural products grown in the Camaldolese tradition on the monastery grounds, in the same gardens as in the past.
Širdies Druona
The fruit grown in the gardens of the Camaldolese monks was legendary. Travellers often wrote that it was hard to find anything more delicious. The monks used them to make wine, which was served to visitors with their meals. Today, the menu of the restaurant in Pažaislis still offers guests the opportunity to taste the wine 'Širdies Druona' (Heart's Bread), made according to an old recipe from the monks' chambers, which is squeezed from ripe, sweet apples of ancient apple trees, as well as hawthorn berries, which are found in the area, and which are known for their healing qualities.
MUST-SEE
Pažaislis Monastery
The Camaldolese Monastery of Pažaislis stands out from other similar ensembles because its paintings and frescoes feature all the themes of the Old and New Testaments. In the church, the frescoes painted in al fresco and al secco techniques merge into a coherent and coherent iconographic programme. The theme of the Exaltation of the Blessed Virgin Mary takes centre stage, with several other themes linked to it: reflections of the spirituality of the Camaldolese, the patron saints of the founder, and the cycles of compositions revealing the symbolism of individual rooms.
The Great Gate
The first structure of the monastery is the monumental Great Gate, made of grey Scandinavian sandstone. Columns of the Tuscan order frame the arch of the gate, while pilasters of the same order frame the sides with niches containing statues. The pediment of the gate is inscribed with a Latin inscription about the mission of Mary, next to which is a flower of Mary, a double lily and the family coat of arms of K. Z. Pacas. A 17th-century gate opens onto the linden avenue. Only after crossing this gate did the true space of the sanctuary open up.
The Mother of Fair Love
Church painting “the Mother of Fair Love” was painted by an unknown Flemish artist in the 17th century. It depicts Mary with the brown-haired child on her lap, surrounded by a lush of flowers, mostly roses – the symbol of the Ave Maria prayer. The iconography of the work combines several types of representation of the Mary - the modified Byzantine Mother of Love and Mary in a crown of flowers. It’s believed that Pope Alexander VII gave it to the founder in 1661, along with the permission to establish Pažaislis Monastery, and Pacas gave it to the Camaldolese monks to safekeep.
PICTURES
Pažaislis Monastery
Vilnius, Lithuania
Domantė Vaišvylaitė
Pažaislis Monastery
Vilnius, Lithuania
Evelina Kasiulevičienė
Pažaislis Monastery
Vilnius, Lithuania
Miglė Nacytė
Pažaislis Monastery
Vilnius, Lithuania
Domantė Vaišvylaitė
Pažaislis Monastery
Vilnius, Lithuania
Evelina Kasiulevičienė
Pažaislis Monastery
Vilnius, Lithuania
Miglė Nacytė
Pažaislis Monastery
Vilnius, Lithuania
Domantė Vaišvylaitė
Pažaislis Monastery
Vilnius, Lithuania
Evelina Kasiulevičienė
Pažaislis Monastery
Vilnius, Lithuania
Miglė Nacytė
